


Someone Looking Pretty

by barricadebastard



Category: Hamilton - Miranda
Genre: Agender Peggy, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Eating Disorders, Emotional/Psychological Abuse, F/F, Fluff, Gender-Neutral Pronouns, Mutual Pining, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Polyamory, Rape Aftermath, Rape Recovery, non-binary Lafayette
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-02-16
Updated: 2016-08-25
Packaged: 2018-05-21 01:38:11
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 15
Words: 33,940
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6033352
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/barricadebastard/pseuds/barricadebastard
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>There was rain, a spare umbrella and a pretty girl who was getting soaked on the streets. Romance ensues.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts), [](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts).



> So this was inspired by a_dot_ham and whatareangelheadedhipsters, who discussed the ideas with me aaaages ago, but I only just got around to writing it because I'm a lazy piece of shit

 "Tall," Peggy was saying. "Kinda dark-skinned, thick lips, she always wears maroon lipstick which is kind of hot, to be honest-" 

Angelica continued to doodle on the napkin, ink staining her fingers as she drew a small bunch of grapes. Outside, the rain was pouring heavily and the sight was a dreary one; the streets were flooded with rainwater, few people dared walk the streets and everything seemed dull and grey.

"And long braids, like, really long, down to her ass," Peggy finished, complete with a wise nod. There were crumbs scattered on the table from Peggy's wild gestures throughout xyr description. Eliza swept them into a napkin with a fond smile at Peggy's antics.

"I think I've seen her around. Does she work part-time at that coffee shop Lafayette is obsessed with? With the authentic croissants?" Eliza questioned, setting the crumb-filled napkin to the side.

"Yep, that's her," Peggy confirmed. "Her name's Theodosia."

" _She's_  Aaron's secret girlfriend?" 

"They've been dating for ages now," Angelica said, turning to face her sisters as she finally contributed to the conversation. "Theodosia's a badass, I saw her punch a guy who kept making comments about her boobs in front of a club. His nose looked broken and there was blood everywhere."

Both Eliza's and Peggy's jaws dropped open. "You're kidding?" 

"Didn't you guys know?" Angelica grinned, recalling the incident with glee. "It was amazing."

The conversation continued and Angelica glanced out of the window once more. There was a figure standing in the rain, face obscured by the tiny purse they were using to protect their face from the rain. They raised their arm several times in an attempt to hail a cab but to no avail. 

"I'll be back in a sec," Angelica found herself saying, grabbing the umbrella next to Eliza's feet and leaving the coffee shop. Side-stepping an angry mother, a wailing six-year-old and an elderly lady who was shaking her fist at a bored-looking teen, she made it outside within seconds.

"Hey," she called out over the rain, jogging lightly to the figure. "You want an umbrella?" 

The purse was lowered to reveal a beautiful girl, around Angelica's age, eyes wide and startled. She looked like a deer caught in headlights when Angelica finally caught up with her.

"Hey," Angelica repeated breathlessly and wow, the girl was even more beautiful up close, with plump lips and tanned, blemish-free skin. "You look soaked. Wanna share an umbrella?"

"I, uh," the girl said, looking (adorably) confused. "Yes? I think." 

Angelica grinned. "You think?" she teased and the girl looked away, embarrassed and a self-deprecating smile lingering on her lips.

"I mean, yeah, please," she corrected herself. Angelica beamed, raising the umbrella over the girl's head, who sent her a grateful smile and Angelica  _really needed to get her shit together before she embarrassed herself, holy shit._

"My name's Angelica," she introduced. "And you are?" 

A pause and then, "Maria," the girl replied softly, her voice almost inaudible under the hammering of the rain. A hesitant smile danced across her lips but she still looked nervous, and confused, as though she expected someone to pull the rug under her feet. Angelica smiled. 

"Nice dress," Angelica complimented, her unoccupied fingers skirting lightly on the soft fabric. It was soaked but even through the rain, it was pretty. It was a semi-formal high-low dress, accentuating shapely legs.

Angelica tried not to stare at her legs.

Maria glanced down at it and pulled a face. "Um, thanks?" she tried, sounding far too uncertain. She pushed away the dark strands of hair that were plastered to the sides of her face. "You don't have to do this."

"I know," Angelica said cheerfully, wrapping an arm around Maria's waist and pulling her closer to ensure that she was completely protected by the rain. Water seeped into the side of Angelica's sweater from Maria's dress but she ignored it, opting instead to smile brightly. "Want me to walk you home? The rain's only gonna get worse. How far do you live?"

Maria frowned, eyes searching Angelica's face - for what, Angelica wasn't completely sure. "Why are you helping me? I - you don't even know me. You don't have to do this." 

Angelica shrugged. "Out of the kindness of my heart?" she offered with a grin.

Maria paused before nodding hesitantly. She glanced down at her shoes in an almost shy manner and Angelica vaguely wondered what the hell had happened in Maria's past that made her so confused and skeptical when someone was nice to her. "Thank you." 

"You're totally welcome," Angelica replied immediately as the two of them walked down the street. She knew she should probably remove her arm from around Maria's waist at this point, but Maria wasn't complaining and she liked the contact too much, even when the other girl's clothes were drenched. 

"I can't wear high-lows, I've had too many traumatic incidents with them," Angelica began to say, filling in the silence with embarrassing stories. Within minutes, Maria's guard had dropped and she was hanging onto Angelica's every word, laughing delightedly at certain points. 

"I ended up having to cut off the bottom part of the dress with a pair of scissors," Angelica finished with a pout. 

"Poor you," Maria teased, eyes crinkling beautifully as she smiled. "How on earth did you ever survive without that dress?" 

"I'm a survivor," Angelica said solemnly before pausing. "I'm not gonna give up." 

"Destiny's Child!" Maria said excitedly and she looked so much like a child in that moment that Angelica laughed, holding Maria's waist tighter and singing a little louder. 

They earned strange looks from the family of four hurrying down the streets - two girls, one soaked and the other bone dry, standing too close together and belting Survivor as they walked down the street, unhurried. Angelica ignored them, focusing instead on Maria's laugh, the way she'd impatiently brush wet hair away from her face, the make-up smudged on her face and how beautiful she looked regardless. 

When they finished the song, Maria was giggling uncontrollably and Angelica found herself laughing. Maria's laugh was  _pretty_ , just like her, and it was too contagious to listen to without feeling a sense of euphoria that made it impossible to maintain a straight face.

Angelica was  _fucked_.

"This is ridiculous," Maria said breathlessly, still giggling. "We're ridiculous."

"That we are," Angelica grinned toothily. "But you're gorgeous so I don't think anyone will hold it against you." 

Maria looked startled, hand freezing in mid-air as she was about to brush her hair away once more. Angelica wondered if she had gone too far. Was Maria uncomfortable? Should she remove her arm? Should she apologize?

"Thank you," Maria said finally, looking simultaneously pleased and embarrassed. "But in that case, no one would hold it against you either." 

"Is that so?" Angelica said in mock surprise. She rested a hand on her chest dramatically with a theatrical gasp for effect. "My, you flatter me!"

Maria's gaze flitted to the hand on Angelica's chest and looked away quickly, cheeks suddenly a shade darker than before. Angelica managed not to gape at the poorly-hidden interest and filed the information in the back of her mind. Now that was  _interesting_.

"Don't be silly," Maria was saying and it took Angelica a moment to remember what they had been talking about originally. "I'm sure people tell you how beautiful you are daily." 

Angelica's grin softened into a smile. "It's different when it's you," she said and Maria's eyes widened, looking confused again. 

"I-" 

Whatever Maria had wanted to say was interrupted when she tripped over a loose crack in the pavement. Angelica's arm around her waist prevented her from falling to the ground, after helping Maria up, Angelica looked at her and the two of them were closer, practically nose-to-nose. 

"Sorry," Maria laughed nervously and Angelica shrugged. The rain hit them hard as the umbrella had fallen and she felt her shirt become soaked almost immediately. A small price to pay for the company of someone like Maria.

"It's cool," she reassured the other girl and bent down to pick up the fallen umbrella. However, at that moment, a gust of wind hit them and the umbrella flew straight into a bush.

"Shit," Angelica cursed, trying to pull the umbrella from the snagging branches. 

"I don't think that's going to help," Maria pointed out hesitantly, watching Angelica with an anxious expression. "The material's already been ripped."

Angelica kicked at the bush, just because she could, before turning to Maria, looking thoughtful. 

"How far are we from your place?" she asked, formulating a plan already. 

Maria bit her lip. "Uh, not too far? A couple of minutes away." 

A wicked grin stretched across Angelica's face and Maria looked startled. "Let's run." 

"What?" 

"Let's run, all the way to your place," Angelica repeated, still grinning. "We're gonna get wet otherwise."

"I'm already wet," Maria laughed but she was already tying a knot in her dress to make it shorter. 

"Are you now?" Angelica smirked, raising an eyebrow. Maria flushed, still laughing and covered her face embarrassedly with a hand. She was unfairly pretty when flustered. 

"Come on then!" Maria said finally, catching Angelica's hand and holding it firmly as she tugged her down the street.

Angelica laughed delightedly as they flew down the street. Houses, trees and cars became a blur and all she could focus on in that moment was the sound of Maria's laughter, the feeling of their entwined fingers, the thumping of her heart beating against her ribcage; whether it was because of the hand-holding or the running, she wasn't entirely sure.

Maria slowed down outside a large house, fancy-looking with a neatly-gardened porch dotted with flowers. It looked expensive, far too expensive for someone as young as Maria. Perhaps it was her father's.

"Is this your place?" Angelica asked curiously. "It's nice." 

"It's my fiancé's," Maria corrected her, looking bitter and avoiding her gaze. Angelica was taken back by how fiercely Maria glared at the house - from their (relatively-short) encounter, Maria had seemed hesitant, always a little nervous. It was slightly surprising to see her look so vehement. 

Angelica considered asking about this fiancé that made Maria look like she had swallowed a lemon but wondered if she even wanted to know. She had thought she had a chance, but of course someone as gorgeous as Maria would be taken - it was natural. There was no way someone looked like that and remained single. 

"Getting married soon?" she asked casually, squashing down the twinge of disappointment inside her. 

"Yeah," Maria said shortly before quickly changing the subject. Angelica bit back a smile - Maria probably thought she was subtle. "Wanna come inside? It's still pouring and it's my fault that you lost your umbrella." 

"If you don't mind," Angelica replied as the two of the walked up the porch. She wondered if she was going to get hurt, pining after a soon-to-be-married girl. Ultimately, she didn't care - as long as she could spend more time with Maria. "As long as I'm not intruding."

"Of course not!" Maria refuted immediately, looking offended that Angelica would even think such a thing. "And I don't think my fiancé's here, his car's missing." 

Angelica noted the relief that coloured Maria's tone but made no comment. 

The interior of the house was as expensive-looking as the outside. White leather sofas with not a speck of dirt or dust, with plush cushions that probably cost more than they were worth. The surface of the coffee table was perfectly clean and there was no mark of human life in the room - no photos, no bags or shoes, nothing. It looked more like a picture from an interior design magazine than a place for someone to actually live in.

"Nice," Angelica mumbled as she slipped off her shoes, watching Maria enter a door and return with two large, fluffy towels. "I thought your fiancé lived here with you?" 

Maria looked confused. "He does." 

"Oh," Angelica said, trying not to frown. Why did it look like no one lived here?

"Why?" Maria pressed, wrapping one towel around Angelica's shoulders. Angelica accepted it gratefully - it was soft and warm and she could almost feel hypothermia threatening to punish her for spending so long out in the rain.

"It just looks like no one lives here," Angelica said before quickly adding, "It's nice but... I don't know."

Maria gave a sheepish shrug, burrowing her nose into her own towel. "Yeah, my fiancé spends a lot of time out on business trips and whatnot." 

"Right," Angelica nodded slowly. This fiancé was beginning to sound more and more like a douche. "What's his name again?"

"James," Maria said distractedly as she padded barefoot to the kitchen. "James Reynolds. Do you want tea? Coffee?" 

"Tea, please," Angelica asked, eyes searching the room for any sign of Reynolds- a photo,  _anything_  - before following Maria to the kitchen and throwing herself ungracefully onto the kitchen chair.

For a while, the only sounds in the room was the high-pitched whistling of the kettle and the crinkling of plastic as Maria fidgeted with something. Angelica watched her lazily, feeling slightly drowsy. 

Maria had removed her flimsy cardigan and the towel hung loosely around her shoulders. She hadn't undone the knot she had made at the back of her dress and Angelica was about to avert her eyes from the legs on display when she saw something... interesting. 

She frowned, looking at Maria's arms instead as she opened a packet of biscuits. It was there too. Suddenly, the strange behaviour concerning the fiancé made sense.

"Maria?" Angelica asked hesitantly. Maria hummed, turning to face Angelica with a smile. "Maria, does your fiancé abuse you?" 

The biscuits fell from Maria's hands and she froze for a moment, clearly shocked, before dropping to her knees wordlessly to pick them up. Her hands were shaking slightly but when she spoke, her voice was level.

"No. Why do you ask?" 

Angelica slid off the chair and joined Maria on the floor, helping her pick up the biscuits.

"You have bruises on your arms and legs." 

Maria dropped the biscuits again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i'm sorry but also not sorry but also very sorry please forgive me


	2. Chapter 2

"He doesn't," Maria said firmly, her hands shaking even more than before as she picked up the last of the fallen biscuits. "He doesn't abuse me." 

Angelica bit her lip, completely unconvinced but unwilling to press the issue now that Maria was beginning to look so distressed. "Okay," she said quietly. 

The silence that followed couldn't be described as anything but awkward. Angelica shifted on her feet as she watched Maria turn her back, the rising and falling of the towel belying the deep breaths she was taking to calm herself. When she turned around, she seemed back to normal.

"Well, would you like some chocolate chip cookies instead? We're out of everything else now."

"Sure, I'm always a slut for chocolate chip," Angelica shrugged, returning to the kitchen chair. Maria's laugh was the most relieving thing Angelica had heard all day. 

Five minutes later, the two of them were seated at the living room, cradling warm mugs of tea and nibbling at cookies as they spoke. It was surprisingly comfortable and despite only meeting Maria for the first time, Angelica found that they had a lot in common. At no point did their conversation run dry and she relished in meeting someone who would match her wit steadily. 

"I really hate the phrase 'man up'," Angelica was saying frustratedly. "Like, being a man correlates with being tough?" 

Maria opened her mouth to say something before closing it again. Angelica bumped her knee against Maria's with an encouraging nod.

"What were you gonna say?" 

Maria still looked hesitant but she pushed forward. "There are so many phrases to use instead of 'man up'," she shrugged finally, watching Angelica cautiously. "'Toughen up' is casual substitute. There's no reason to even use the term." 

Angelica's eyes lit up. " _Exactly."_

"And," Maria added cautiously. "It's... offensive to guys too. Shaming someone for showing weakness isn't... productive?”

"You're totally right,” Angelica agreed enthusiastically, setting her mug down on the fancy coffee table and sitting at the edge of the sofa. “It doesn’t allow men to properly express themselves and it makes it harder for them to seek help. Have you even seen how high suicide rates are for men?!”

Maria nodded. She opened her mouth again, paused, closed it and opened it again. Angelica tried not to let herself get distracted by her lips, stained red with lipstick.

“I- Thank you,” Maria said. “It’s not often that people actually listen to my opinions and consider them.”

Angelica twitched ever so slightly, her hand flexing subconsciously as she thought of all the things she wanted to do to anyone who had ever dismissed Maria. Instead, she smiled brightly. “Hey, you have  _brilliant_  opinions and anyone who doesn’t listen to them is missing out.”

Maria smiled, eyes crinkling up and... now was definitely not the time to stare but _god_ , Maria looked so  _beautiful_  in this moment, make-up smudged from the rain, bare legs crossed on the sofa as she clutched her mug, all damp hair and shy smiles that lit up the whole room. The real world couldn’t seem further away than now, sitting in a foreign living room with a beautiful stranger she felt she knew all her life. The girl was into  _social justice,_ for god’s sake. How was Angelica supposed to stand a chance?

“Do I look that terrible?” Maria frowned, raising a self-conscious hand to her cheek. Angelica tilted her head, confused.

“No, why?”

“You were staring,” Maria said. She picked up the corner of the towel that was draped around her shoulders and patted delicately at her face, wiping away foundation. “I know the rain made my makeup a mess-“

“You look beautiful,” Angelica reassured her immediately and was rewarded with the sight of Maria’s tanned cheeks darkening as she glanced away, suddenly embarrassed. The towel dropped from her hand, now brown with make-up stains. “Hey, why are you looking like that? You  _are_ beautiful. You’re gorgeous. Even after you’ve spent god-knows-how-long in the rain. And that’s not something people can pull off, okay?”

Maria let out a small, nervous laugh before nodded, eyeing Angelica shyly. “Thank you. I-“

The sound of a car pulling up in the driveway interrupted whatever she planned to say. She froze and a cookie fell as her fingers when suddenly slack. Angelica watched carefully as Maria attempted to casually look outside the window.

A loud voice wafted through the open window, apparently talking on the phone, and Maria took a deep shuddering breath that made her entire body quiver before turning to Angelica with a smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes.

“I’m so sorry to cut this short,” she began but Angelica was already shaking her head, patting Maria’s knee to try and convey that she understood, that it was okay.

“I should be going anyway,” Angelica lied as she stood up. “Can I get your number?”

“Yeah,” Maria said quickly, slightly too enthusiastic to be casual. She then grimaced and corrected herself, toning down the bright grin that had lit up her face previously. “I mean, sure, why not?”

Angelica laughed, pulling out her phone and, after tapping out the passcode, passed it to Maria. “Can’t let a girl like you slip out of my grip,” she said knowingly.

The door opened before Maria could reply and Angelica quickly plucked her phone out of Maria’s fingers before she dropped it. “Nice meeting you, Maria,” she said loudly as a broad-shouldered blonde walked into the house loudly. The moment he entered, he exuded strength and stupidity, like a dumb henchmen who was willing to solve all conflicts with his fists but would strain himself if he attempted to use his three brain cells.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Maria wince with each thumping footstep. Part of her wished she could wrap an arm around her, promise her that she didn't have to put up with this. Her thoughts drifted to the many domestic violence leaflets that were scattered around her home before pushing the thought away. Soon, she would do something, but not yet, not when she had just met Maria and was only seeing Reynolds for the first time. 

Soon.

"Who are you?” he asked brusquely. Angelica resisted the urge to punch him and instead sent him a strained smile.

“Angelica Schuyler,” she introduced herself, eyes watching his every movement. The man wasn’t even attractive, for Christ’s sake, with his squinting, piggy eyes, upturned nose and lips that curved naturally into a scowl. “I’m a friend of Maria’s.”

“Schuyler, huh?” Reynolds said thoughtfully. Angelica tried not to scowl at the sound of her surname coming from this man's mouth. “Related to Philip Schuyler?”

“My father,” Angelica replied shortly. “I’m sorry, but I must be leaving now, if you don’t mind?”

Reynolds moved aside, freeing the path to the door that he was previously blocking. Angelica turned to see Maria watching her, mug abandoned on the coffee table and hands clasped in her lap. “I’ll see you around, Maria.”

“Yeah,” the other girl mumbled with a barely perceptible nod.

Angelica stepped onto the porch, closed the door firmly and congratulated herself for not kicking James Reynolds in the balls. 

Two days later, she was lying on Peggy's bed in a foetal position, knees drawn up to her chest as she grinned giddily at her phone. She didn't see the strange looks Eliza and Peggy exchanged behind her.

"Who are you texting, Ang?" Eliza said as casually as possible. Angelica twisted slightly on the bed to look at her.

"Remember when we were at the coffee shop and I left to give that girl an umbrella?" Peggy and Eliza nodded, realisation dawning on their faces. "I got her number and we've been texting a lot."

The three of them were meeting up in Peggy's apartment. It was larger than needed for a single person living alone and so the sisters often would make time in their busy lives to sit down in xyr room and doing nothing productive. The bed was unfairly comfy (Angelica had considered stealing xyr mattress more than once), Peggy made amazing brownies and the purple themed bedroom reminded them of their older bedroom and younger days, when stress was scarce and responsibility was scarcer. 

"She's very pretty," Peggy smirked, sitting delicately at the edge of the bed. "She seems your type." 

"She is," Angelica admitted and Peggy crowed immediately, pointing a finger at Eliza as xe cackled.

"I  _told_ you, I told you Angie had a crush!" 

"Hey, I didn't say I had a  _crush_ ," Angelica defended, sitting up to frown at them. Eliza smiled knowingly. 

"The way you smile at your phone when you're talking to her says otherwise," she said apologetically. 

Peggy was still cackling, now breathless as xyr body racked with laughter. Angelica scowled, kicking xyroff the bed and watching with satisfaction when she saw xem fall. Xe was still laughing.

"So  _maybe_  I have a tiny crush on her," Angelica admitted reluctantly. "So? It's harmless." 

"That's so sweet," Eliza smiled. Angelica buried her face in the pillow, sticking up her middle finger when she heard Peggy say, 'don't drool on my pillow'. 

Her phone buzzed and she almost cracked her neck in her haste to unlock it. Ignoring Peggy's sniggers and Eliza's knowing looks, she smiled down at the phone screen.

"Man, you have it bad," Peggy sighed, seating xemself on Angelica's legs as xe finally stopped laughing.

"I can't help it," Angelica moaned, throwing her head back onto the pillow after replying. "She's sending me cute videos of puppies, how am I supposed to  _not_  have a crush on her?"

Eliza moved to sit next to her, patting Angelica's hair sympathetically. Angelica took comfort in the silent support it provided - the soothing caress of Eliza's hand was more calming than she was willing to admit.

"Do you wanna be a little more obvious? I think there are some plants that haven't figured out you're in love yet."

"Peggy, how about you take those plants and  _shove them up your ass."_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Peggy uses xe/xyr/xem pronouns but doesn't mind being referred to as 'sister'. We're gonna meet the revolutionary crew at some point so I should probably tell you that Lafayette uses they/them pronouns. PLEASE TELL ME IF I MISGENDER SOMEONE 
> 
> yay for schuyler sisters bonding time
> 
> let's be honest, i managed to finish this chapter because of Esti7310 updating [Frienemies](http://archiveofourown.org/works/5931991) (which I fucking love, you guys should totally read it) and thus inspiring me beyond belief 
> 
> I'm on tumblr [lafayettes-baguette](http://www.lafayettes-baguette.tumblr.com)


	3. Chapter 3

Angelica was texting Maria again. This time, Angelica was lying on her own couch and Maria was at the opticians and was buying new glasses, snapchatting each potential choice to Angelica for her opinion. It took every ounce of self-control that Angelica possessed to not tell Maria that she looked beautiful regardless of which spectacles were perched on her nose.

“Are you talking to Maria again?” Peggy asked as xe walked past her with an ice-cream cone.

“Yeah,” Angelica replied distractedly as she stared at the image of Maria with comical circle-rimmed glasses that, despite being hideous, did nothing to hide her beauty.

“I wanna see her,” Peggy pouted. “I didn’t actually see the face of the mystery girl who has captured my sister’s heart.” 

Angelica tapped a response to Maria’s snap and opened the most recent one, angling her phone toward Peggy so that xe could see. “That’s her. She’s trying on glasses at the opticians.”

“Oh,” Peggy said. Xe paused before grinning at Angelica. “Definitely your type.”

“Shut up,” Angelica grumbled as she turned her phone back towards herself. The latest try had been large thick-rimmed nerd glasses that made Maria look adorable.  _'those are gorgeous!_ ’ she replied on a picture of the arm of the coach. After a moment of hesitation, she sent another snap after the first. ' _an_ _d you look gorgeous wearing them’._

Maria opened the snap almost immediately but it took a while for her to respond. Angelica wondered if that was because she didn’t know how to reply or because she was simply distracted by something else.

‘Stop it;’ was the final reply along with a blushing emoji and a kissy face. Angelica sucked in a breath.

“So you’re not in love but you get embarrassed when she sends you a kissy emoji?” Peggy said from behind her and Angelica twisted on the coach to see Peggy hovering over her with a grin.

“Piss off, Pegs,” Angelica grumbled. “I’m not in love. It’s just a crush.” 

“Uh huh,” Peggy nodded, still grinning.

Angelica threw the pillow at xyr.

Her phone made a small ‘ping’ sound as another snap came from Maria. This one wasn’t a picture but a red-tinged background, as though Maria had put her thumb over the camera for a black background.  _‘I bought the ones you liked’._

Angelica smiled, slightly giddy at the thought of seeing Maria in nerd glasses.

_‘they’re adorable, you're adorable and that’s why they suit you’._

“Peggy! Angelica! Something smells like it’s burning!” Eliza called from the bathroom where she was curling her hair. Sure enough, a pungent smell was wafting from the kitchen.

“The pizzas,” Angelica groaned, almost dropping her phone in her haste to run to the kitchen. Grabbing flowery oven mitts, she yanked the oven door open and all but threw the pizza onto the kitchen counter.

“It’s burnt,” Peggy said glumly as xe trudged towards the kitchen. Xe stared solemnly at the lightly-charred pepperoni. “I was looking forward to that pizza.”

“Maybe you should have kept an eye on it then,” Angelica retaliated. “I don’t care, I’m still eating it.”

“If you hadn’t gotten so distracted with lover girl...” Peggy teased and Angelica threw the oven mitts in xyr direction before beginning to cut the pizza up.

“Eliza, do you want pizza? Peggy’s not having any, there’s more for us!”

“Who said I didn’t want it?!” 

Eliza exited the bathroom, hair curled perfectly into waves that flowed down her shoulders. “I vote that we don’t give Peggy any. Xe ruined my lipstick.”  
Peggy squawked, swatting Eliza’s arm indignantly. “You’re supposed to me on my side!” A pause. “Wait, what lipstick?”

“The bright red one that you kept begging to borrow,” Eliza said and her disapproving stare was so strong and for a moment, the pursed lips reminded Angelica of their mother after that one time they had burnt the kitchen down.

Peggy frowned. “But I didn’t use it.”

Another pause and then two sets of eyes turned to stare at Angelica accusingly. She threw  her hands in the air, pizza cutter almost flying out of her grip. “Okay! I admit it! I used your lipstick.”

“And ruined it,” Eliza added loftily.

“And ruined it,” Angelica agreed with a sheepish grin. She picked up the largest and cheesiest slice of pizza and offered it to the other girl. “Apology?”

Eliza stared at her coldly for a moment before shrugging and taking the pizza offered to her. “Accepted.”

Peggy snuck up behind Angelica and stole the second largest slice. Angelica glared playfully before taking her own slice and sitting cross-legged on the floor as she chewed. 

"So, when do we get to meet your girlfriend?" Eliza asked, sitting next to her on the tiled floor. Peggy grabbed three cans of coke before joining them on the floor. 

"Not my girlfriend," Angelica corrected swiftly. "I don't know, we can arrange something? I really want you guys to meet her."

"So, like, giving you our blessing?" Peggy grinned and Angelica snorted loudly. 

"I don't need your blessing to date whoever the hell I want," Angelica said, throwing a smirk at Peggy, who rolled xyr eyes and muttered under xyr breath a sarcastic 'sure you don't'. Angelica ignored xyr."But we should get together, I wanna introduce her."

"Is she free now?" Eliza asked eagerly. Peggy leaned over Angelica to wipe tomato sauce from her chin, elbowing Angelica in the process. 

"Ow!" Angelica yelped, slapping Peggy's thigh and scowling. "That was my vagina, you bitch." 

"How did I reach your vagina from here? That was your lower stomach at most," Peggy dismissed, purposely flipping xyr hair so that it whacked Angelica in the face. Angelica rolled her eyes at the youngest sister's antics and wallowed in the sad fact that she and Eliza would let Peggy get away with anything, just because xe was the youngest.

"She's at the opticians right now," Angelica said in response to Eliza's question. "Trying on glasses, which she looks adorable in, by the way. But I can ask her if she's free after?" 

"Please," Peggy replied enthusiastically, cracking open xyr can of coke and draining half of it in one go. Xe wiped xyr mouth and smacked xyr lips in a very satisfied manner before burping loudly.

"Gross," Eliza admonished. "We're trying to eat here." 

Peggy stuck out xyr tongue.

Angelica got to her feet and, bare feet pattering loudly on the tiles, grabbed her phone from the couch. Grease coated the screen almost immediately and she wiped it impatiently on her shirt before unlocking it.

 

**To Maria**

_hey, are you gonna be free after your opticians appointment thing?_

 

Maria didn't reply until after Angelica was seated on the kitchen floor again.

 

**From Maria**

_'_ _I just left a second ago. Why?_

 

**To Maria**

_'just thinking we could maybe meet up again? my sisters wanna get to know you.'_

 

There was a pause and Angelica watched the speech bubble appear and disappear repeatedly until Maria finally replied. 

 

**From Maria**

_I don't see why not. When do you wanna meet up? Now?_

 

**To Maria**

_you're not busy, are you?_

 

**From Maria**

_I'm free for a couple of hours_

 

**To Maria**

_how about that cute coffee place you were standing outside the day we met?_

_temptations?_

_they have heavenly cheesecake_

 

**From Maria**

_Meet you there in twenty?_

 

**To Maria**

_sure!_

 

"You guys aren't doing anything right now, are you?" Angelica asked, finally looking up to see Eliza and Peggy watching her with increasingly exasperated expressions. "What?"

"It's nothing," Eliza soothed, in a tone that was  _far_  too patronising, if you asked Angelica. "I'm free." 

"I'm not planning to do anything productive today," Peggy added.

"Maria said she's free as well, so we can all meet up!" Angelica said, grinning at her sisters for a second before her face suddenly smoothed out, looking completely serious. "Okay, ground rules." 

"Are you serious?" Peggy said incredulously. "We know the drill. We're not going to make any sex jokes, we won't imply that you two are dating and we won't be mean. Happy?" 

Eliza started cleaning up the kitchen, stacking various plates, bowls and cutlery into the sink to be washed later. "No offence, Pegs, but you have no tact. You  _need_ ground rules," she pointed out with an apologetic grin. Peggy pouted and Eliza poked xyr cheek. "Cheer up." 

"Okay, normal rules apply, be civil, etc. But I think she might be..." Here, Angelica trailed off. Should she tell them? Would Maria feel uncomfortable knowing that other people, people she didn't know very well, were aware of her situation? It wasn't a casual tidbit of information to be thrown around.

Eliza and Peggy were watching her curiously and Angelica took a deep breath before making a final decision.

"I think she might be abused," she said carefully and, when Peggy almost choked and Eliza's eyes widen, added quickly. "I don't have proof but if she is, she might be a little delicate about certain topics. So, like, if we could avoid talking about her fiancé, that'd be lovely." 

Peggy was nodding slowly, clearly still attempting to digest the information. Eliza, on the other hand, frowned. "You didn't mention a fiancé." 

"She did," Peggy interjected, still looking thoughtful. "But it was in the middle of one of her '50 reasons why Maria is a precious cinnamon roll' rants so you probably weren't listening."

"Probably not," Eliza agreed, stifling a laugh.

Angelica rolled her eyes. "Whatever. You guys just don't appreciate me." She looked down at the clothes she was wearing: acid-washed jeans and a white t-shirt. "Shit. What am I supposed to wear?" 

An almost-feral grin curled on Eliza's face, sweet innocent lips now revealing pearly whites glinting like the teeth of a shark who had just spotted its victim. 

"What?" Angelica said nervously, taking a step back as Eliza stepped closer, still grinning. She turned to Peggy for help but xe only shrugged unapologetically and smirked.

"Let's get you dolled up." 

Twenty minutes later, the siblings were sitting at a small table in Temptations, waiting for Maria. Peggy was using xyr phone as a mirror as xe finished off xyr lipstick, Eliza was writing in the pocket-sized journal that she carried around at all times and Angelica was too nervous to do much more than stare at the doorway. 

After their initial encounter, Angelica and Maria hadn't met up personally. Instead, they grew closer through random texts, phone calls that went late into the night and snaps of their daily routines. Despite already meeting her, Angelica felt like she was going to be seeing an internet for the first time. She tugged at her hair anxiously only to have Peggy tug her hands away before she ruined the hairstyle xe had done for her. 

"Am I over-dressed?" Angelica asked, frowning down at her clothes. With her black crop top that Eliza had practically forced onto her, a casual white blazer and ripped jeans, she felt more like she was going on a date than meeting a friend. Angelica wasn't normally one to feel self-conscious and yet she found herself fidgeting with a napkin.

"You look fine," Peggy reassured her distractedly, smacking xyr lips one more time in front of the mirror before turning to pat Angelica's hand supporting. "I bet she'll come in and be even more dressed up, and you'll be so blown away that you won't even have time to be grateful that we picked your clothes." 

"It seems a bit much," Angelica said dubiously but let the matter slide. She glanced around the coffee shop. It was relatively empty, with only an elderly woman by the window who seemed to be mumbling to herself and a teenage couple that looked adorably awkward. No sign of Maria. Angelica unlocked her phone in case Maria warned her of being late but there were no new texts. She frowned. 

"She's a little late," Eliza said absent-mindedly as she continued to write in her journal. 

"That's what I was thinking," Angelica mumbled. "Should I text her?" 

"It's a little too early for that," Peggy said quickly, taking the phone from Angelica's hand and holding it beyond her reach. "It'll make you look desperate. You need to wait a few minutes."

Angelica rolled her eyes. "Listen, if this is like that stupid 'no-double-texting' rule-" 

"This is exactly like the 'no-double-texting' rule!"

It was at that moment that the tinkling of the bell signified a new arrival to the coffee shop. Angelica's eyes swivelled almost automatically towards the door, hoping beyond hope that it was who she was waiting for.

Sure enough, Maria was striding hurriedly to their table. Angelica felt her breath get caught in her throat - all the snaps in the world would never prepare her for seeing Maria in the flesh again.

And just when Angelica thought her heart couldn't beat any faster, her eyes took in her outfit. She was wearing white jeans that are so tight it should have been illegal. A white tanktop hugged her figure and Angelica tried not to choke at the low-cut hemline. It was all topped off by a black, almost ankle-length cardigan.

"Sorry I'm late," Maria said almost immediately, sounding slightly breathless. Her eyes darted around the coffee shop nervously and she refused to meet any of their gazes. Slender fingers tapped nervously at the sleek wood of the table. "Um, you don't mind if my fiancé joins us, do you? He, uh, wanted to meet you guys and-"

The bell tinkled again and Angelica bit her lip at the sight of James Reynolds swaggering towards them, trying to bite back the harsh words that lay at the tip of her tongue. Maria had frozen at the sound of his entrance and Angelica could see Peggy and Eliza piecing the information together.

"Have we ordered yet?" Reynolds said loudly as he settled into the spare seat beside Maria, not noticing the wince that followed his boisterous tone. Or perhaps he simply didn't care. Regardless, a surge of resentment churned in Angelica's stomach.

Peggy's nose wrinkled pointedly and Reynolds shot xyr a sharp look.

Angelica sighed internally. This was going to be difficult.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm uploading this from my phone so there are probably a thousand mistakes, both in formatting and in the actual text. But I'm going to sleep, so...
> 
> I promise I'll fix this in the morning. Probably.
> 
> (I have no idea where this idea came from?? James wasn't supposed to join them? It was supposed to be the schuylers + maria bonding?? What am I doing???)
> 
> I'm on tumblr! [lafayettes-baguette](http://www.lafayettes-baguette.tumblr.com)


	4. Chapter 4

"So," Maria said loudly, a painfully fake smile stretching her lips. "You guys are all sisters, right?"

In any other circumstance, Angelica would place her hand over Maria's shaking one, try to calm her, but with Reynolds watching her mistrustfully, she didn't dare. The last thing she wanted was to start a fight between Maria and Reynolds because the man thought she was cheating. She focused on Maria's painted nails: red. Her favourite colour. It looked good, the sleek matte look showing off the red of her lipstick. Angelica reminded herself not to stare at Maria's lips.

"Yes, we are," Eliza replied immediately. "A lot of people assume we're just friends because," she gestured at the three of them vaguely. "Well." Her smile was much more natural, a sweet twitch of glossy lips. Eliza was a gift from the gods, Angelica mused. She was amazing at diffusing awkward moments and brightening the atmosphere with a simple smile. "But Peggy's agender so xyr not technically a 'sister' but," Eliza shrugged, trailing off.

"Agender?" Reynolds repeated sceptically. Peggy's sharp eyes turned to him and Angelica spared a moment to be surprised that xe hadn't drilled a hole into him with the intensity of xyr glare. "What's that?"

"It means that I don't have a gender, whether it's male, female or anything else," Peggy responded sweetly, putting xyr elbow on the table and resting xyr chin in xyr hands. Xe smiled sweetly but, unlike Eliza, it made xem look like xe was gearing up for a fight and planning to look flawless throughout it.

"That's..." Reynolds began, brow furrowed. Angelica almost laughed disdainfully at the sight of his simple mind attempting to understand what was a simple concept. "Is that real?" 

Peggy's smile widened. "Do I look like a unicorn to you?" 

Reynolds looked, if possible, even more confused. "Are unicorns and agender linked?" 

Angelica's jaw tightened and she tried, god, she tried so hard not to reply but before she knew it, her mouth was opening and words were flowing out. "Don't be ridiculous," she dismissed, letting out a small - and clearly fake -  laugh even as she stared coldly,  _blankly_ , at Reynolds. "What Peggy was trying to say is, clearly xe is very much real if xe is sitting in front of you."

The confused look was replaced with a furious one. Reynolds' voice had dropped to a low, dangerous tone, the voice of someone who had used intimidation tactics many times and had come away successful each time. "Oh, so you want to talk to me like I'm stupid _?_ "

"Stop being stupid then," Angelica muttered under her breath, too quiet to be heard. She wanted to be mindful of Maria's situation and yet she also wanted to give Reynolds' a thorough lashing. For Maria's sake alone, she held her tongue, took a deep breath and smiled. "I'm sorry, that was dreadfully rude" 

Reynolds didn't respond, still glowering at her. She almost rolled her eyes - did he expect her to be intimidated when his eyebrows looked like they were in dire need of hedge trimmers? Jesus, the salon was across the road and yet the man looked like he had never heard of tweezers in his life.

"Well, since we're all here, shouldn't we buy something?" Eliza said brightly. "What do you guys want?" 

Maria's smile was strained, the corners a little too tight and her eyes a little too dead. "I heard the white chocolate latte here is amazing," she said, gaze flickering to Angelica before glancing away.

"And the cheesecake is amazing," Angelica added. Maria looked at her and the smile that danced on her lips was tight, insincere. 

"And the cheesecake," she agreed, voice wavering slightly. "Which would you recommend?"

Reynolds sat silently as the three siblings argued lightly over whether lemon cheesecake or toffee cheesecake was better. As Angelica highlighted the best features of lemon cheesecake ("The sourness from the lemon complements the savoury mascarpone!"), she watched him from the corner of her eye. He was staring at Maria, gaze dipping down to her breasts. Maria, who hadn't contributed to the argument, looked at him for a moment before looking away quickly. 

What wouldn't she do to kick Reynolds in the balls? Just when she thought that he couldn't make her any more furious, he had to go and do something like  _stare at her inappropriately in public even when she looks uncomfortable_. Angelica felt like she had used up her daily allowance of patience with this man and she stood up suddenly, almost knocking the chair back. 

Four pairs of eyes looked up with various degrees of surprise. She smiled tightly. "Since we've all decided on what we want, I'll go order, shall I?"

"I haven't said what I want," Reynolds pointed out and Angelica's lips tightened ever so slightly. Taking a deep breath and reminding herself of all the reasons  _not_ to punch James Reynolds, she turned to him with faux surprise. 

"Oh, sorry! I forgot to ask, what do you want?" 

Reynolds shrugged nonchalantly. "Medium black coffee. That sugar concoction you girls drink isn't real coffee."

She nodded once and, before she ended up punching him for the disdain tone he used to say 'you girls', walked over to the counter. With the conversation falling away awkwardly at their table and the near-empty state of the coffee shop, the click-clack of  her heels brought her some comfort. She imagined digging the heel of her shoe into Reynolds' face and watching him squirm beneath her crushing foot.

She was imagining the blood spurting from his nose when a hand rested lightly on her upper arm. Angelica turned around, surprised and ready to fight, but relaxed when she saw it was only Maria.

"Thank you," Maria said quietly. Angelica opened her mouth to ask why she was thanking her but was cut off by the barista. 

"Hi, what can I get you?"

Angelica turned around and smiled brightly. "Can we have one large caramel macchiato, a medium white chocolate latte, a chocolate cookie crunch iced frappe, a mega-thick chocolate milkshake, a medium black coffee, one lemon cheesecake, one raspberry cheesecake, one toffee cheesecake and a brownie, please," she recited. The barista's eyes widened and she glanced to the side helplessly as though hoping someone would save her.

"Um, I'm a little new to English," the girl said apologetically. "Could you repeat that? Possibly slower?" 

"Of course," Angelica said immediately, feeling slightly sorry for the dark-skinned girl. Her French accent was considerably clearer when she wasn't reciting the typical barista greetings and, after her holiday to Spain with Peggy and Eliza, she appreciated how difficult language could be when natives spoke so fast. She repeated the orders slowly as the barista jotted it down in a small notebook. 

"Thank you," the barista said when she was finished, looking beyond grateful. "My employer was a little hesitant about employing me because he thought my English would get in the way. I've been trying to prove him wrong this past year or so."

"No problem..." Angelica glanced down at the nametag. "Adrienne? That's a pretty name."

"Thank you," Adrienne replied sweetly, brushing long braids behind her shoulder. "Your orders will be up in a second." 

When Angelica turned around, Maria was watching her carefully. She raised a questioning eyebrow, hoping to non-verbally invite her to ask the question that seemed to be bothering her, whatever it was.

Maria looked away determinedly but, seconds later, peeked back at Angelica. "She's... she's pretty." 

"She is," Angelica replied. It was a fact she couldn't deny; with her olive skin, long braids that travelled down her back, full lips and sparkling eyes that seemed to be always smiling, Adrienne was, indeed, beautiful. 

Maria was still hesitating. Moments later, she followed up with, "You should ask her out." 

Angelica froze.  _What_? Why would Maria want Angelica to ask Adrienne out? Had Maria figured out that Angelica's feelings were slightly less platonic than to be expected? Did she feel uncomfortable and was she, subtly, asking Angelica to back off? And why did Maria look so distraught by the idea when she was the one who had brought it up? 

Angelica didn't ask any of these questions. "Why?" she asked instead, watching Maria cautiously for any sign of irritation, anger, discomfort,  _anything_ other than the awkward lip-biting that told her literally  _nothing_  about the situation.

Maria shrugged, clearly aiming for casual but missing by a mile or so. "You seemed to like her. You guys were flirting."

 _Flirting?_ Angelica couldn't help it; she snorted loudly. Maria looked surprised as Angelica gripped the counter to ground herself as more giggles burst out of her. She should probably say something, deny it, do anything that didn't involve laughing like a lunatic and everyone on their table was watching her now but she couldn't stop laughing because honestly,  _what the hell?_  

"I get it, you're straight," Maria snapped and Angelica's laughter met an abrupt death when she saw the hurt flashing in the other girl's eyes. She reached out to touch Maria but she snatched her arm away. "God, would it have hurt to just  _say_ you're straight? Did you need to laugh?" 

The hurt left only to be replaced with humiliation. Maria covered her face for a second and Angelica, gaping stupidly, vaguely made note of the ring that decorated her finger - how did she not notice that before? She didn't think Maria wore it when they first met - before bringing herself back down to earth.

"Woah, that's  _not_ why I was laughing at all! I-" 

"Forget it," Maria said quickly, walking back to the table and sitting down. Peggy's hand touched her hand but retracted it when Maria flinched, visible even from the counter. Reynolds was staring at her, looking completely unbothered for someone who's fiancée was currently upset. Shouldn't he at least  _pretend_ to care about Maria's feelings or her general well-being?

"You should probably fix that shit up," Adrienne said casually from behind her.

Angelica groaned. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> listen, i have ALL the regrets okay
> 
> I love that you guys are interested in this even when I'm only three chapters in, all these comments and anons on tumblr give me life jfc yall are the best
> 
> [lafayettes-baguette](http://www.lafayettes-baguette.tumblr.com) is my tumblr


	5. Chapter 5

 Conflicted, Angelica glanced at the counter and then at Maria.

“Go,” Adrienne encouraged. “I’ll bring your orders to you. Special service for customers who should be in those shitty romance films.”

“Thank you,” Angelica replied, throwing the dark-skinned girl an sheepish look before making her way towards their table. Maria was refusing to meet her eye, staring determinedly at the surface of the table. Reynolds was still watching Angelica, looking coldly intrigued. Angelica ignored him, sitting down next to Maria and leaning in to whisper.

“Hey, I’m sorry. I wasn’t laughing at you, I just wasn’t expecting you to say that,” she began, placing a hand slowly on Maria’s thigh.

Maria glanced up at her. The eye contact was a definite improvement from refusing to meet her eye, but she looked reluctant and awkward. “It’s alright, it was my fault. I shouldn’t have assumed you were interested in girls, it was rude. It’s okay if I offended you.”

“You didn’t offend me!” Angelica said immediately, surprised. “I  _am_ interested in girls. I just didn’t expect you to tell me to ask Adrienne out.”

“If you don’t mind,” Reynolds began coldly, cutting into their conversation. “I would prefer it if you didn’t keep bothering my fiancé after laughing in her face and upsetting her. You embarrassed her in front of everyone in this shop-“ the couple were too self-absorbed to notice their surroundings and the  elderly woman was still mumbling to herself. There was no one else in the coffee shop apart from Peggy, Eliza and Adrienne. “-humiliated her and now you’re forcing your apology onto her. A simple ‘sorry’ isn’t enough.”

Where Angelica and Maria’s voices were hushed and low, he spoke at his normal volume, clearly uncaring of who was listening in. Peggy and Eliza, bless them, were attempting to pretend they were too busy in their own conversation to notice what was going on.

Angelica looked up, raising an eyebrow. Reynolds met her gaze steadily and there was a glint in his eyes. In the few seconds that they stared at each other, Angelica got the feeling that Reynolds was less bothered about the fact that Maria was upset and more annoyed that Angelica was getting so close to his fiancé.

“It’s okay, Reynolds,” Maria attempted. “It’s nothi-“

“It’s not nothing,” Reynolds said loudly, glaring at Angelica. Angelica didn’t reply, knowing that Maria might face the backlash of any words Angelica said. “Stay away from my fiancé, if all you're going to do is hurt her."

Oh, the irony of his words.

He stood up suddenly, knocking the chair onto the floor. The crash that followed sounded deafening in the quiet shop and Maria’s wince was even more pronounced than before.

“Let’s go, babe,” Reynolds said, shooting Angelica one last filthy look before intertwining his fingers with Maria’s and leading her out of the shop.

As the door tinkled with their exit, Angelica clenched and unclenched her fist. She tried to regulate her breathing but her breaths came out short and ragged. The pure, unadulterated fury that coursed through her veins in that moment almost made her dizzy.

“What a fucking bastard,” Eliza muttered under her breath and Angelica barked a sudden laugh. If even  _Eliza_ was swearing in this situation, then heaven help the rest of them.

“That reaction was out-of-proportion,” Peggy frowned, fingers tapping the table restlessly as xe watched Reynolds and Maria get into a car and drive off. “What the hell?”

“I think I know what that was,” Angelica said, smiling bitterly. “Reynolds doesn’t want me helping Maria. I reckon he knows that I’d try and convince her to dump him and he doesn’t want me corrupting her. He's smarter than I thought.” She inhaled sharply. “How  _dare_ he control who she meets... Telling people he doesn’t like to stay away from her like he can decide who talks to her and who doesn’t...”

“One large caramel macchiato, one medium white chocolate latte, one chocolate cookie crunch iced frappé, one mega-thick chocolate milkshake, one medium black coffee, one lemon cheesecake, one raspberry cheesecake, one toffee cheesecake and a brownie," a voice said from behind and they saw Adrienne balancing two cups and their remaining orders on the counter. She frowned when she saw that two of her customers had gone.

"Where is the pretty girl and the man?" she asked as she set down the macchiato and white chocolate latte. "Are they coming back or should I discard their orders?" 

"Would you mind discarding the black coffee and the frappé?" Eliza said apologetically as Peggy and Angelica stood up to collect the rest of their orders. "We're so sorry for the trouble."

"It's no problem," Adrienne was saying, brushing a braid off her shoulder. 

"I really hope you don't give up on her," Peggy mumbled to Angelica, picking up two of the cheesecakes. Angelica looked up at xyr, raising an eyebrow. "I mean, if you give up on her now, what are the chances that she's gonna open up to someone else?" 

Angelica nodded slowly, watching the brim of the cup and walking slowly back to the table, determined not to spill a drop. God, how did Adrienne do this? "I know. I'm not giving up on her, I just don't want to put her in a compromising position, you know?" 

When they returned to the table, Adrienne's smile had gone past 'polite' and 'friendly' and was now firmly in the 'flirty' category. Eliza's smile was a lot brighter than usual too and her eyes were lighting up in a way that never did when talking to her siblings. Angelica and Peggy shared a knowing look and, as they got closer, caught the tail ends of the conversation: "can I get your number?"

Adrienne was about to reply when she saw Angelica and Peggy. She flustered, taking a step back.

Eliza stood up to help them with the orders but Peggy rested a hand on her shoulder, pushing her forcefully back into the chair.

"Don't worry, Eliza, we've got this," Angelica said reassuringly before shooting the two girls a lecherous grin. "Enjoy your conversation."

Watching Eliza's cheeks darken was definitely worth it and, if xyr cackles were any indication, Peggy appreciated it.

"I didn't know Eliza was interested in girls," Peggy said fondly.

"I didn't either," Angelica shrugged. "Why is Maria's cheesecake still here?"

"Because we're gonna split it in three and eat it," Peggy replied as though it was obvious. "Why the hell would we waste perfectly good cheesecake?"

 

**To Maria**

_you never did try the cheesecake_

 

For a long while, no reply came. Angelica watched her phone restlessly for a few minutes before turning on the tv. Why couldn't she stop thinking about Maria? They had only met recently and yet it felt like the girl consumed her thoughts every day since.

She watched blankly as a character died. What show was this? She had no idea. She couldn't concentrate, her mind still on the events of the day. She felt exhausted, drained from the emotional rollercoaster and, had the circumstances been different, would have taken a nap without hesitation. But how could she sleep when Maria still hadn't texted her back?

Her phone buzzed and Angelica, who would never admit that she had been sitting on the edge of her proverbial seat, jumped, startled. It took her little time to recover and she quickly snatched her phone from the other side of the couch.

 

**From Maria**

_There's still next time._

Angelica was dead. She was dead and currently in heaven. That was the only explanation available. The worst case scenario had been that Maria would never speak to her again and would remain true to Reynolds' words. Best case scenario had been Maria reluctantly speaking to her but refusing to meet up again.

This wasn't even a scenario she had considered.

 

**To Maria**

_i'm really am sorry about today._

 

Radio silence for several long minutes. On the tv, the mother was being informed of her son's death and was now howling, body hunched over as she sobbed.

Finally, a reply.

 

**From Maria**

_Okay._

 

Okay? What did that mean? Okay, she was forgiven? Okay, she understood but wasn't ready to forgive? Okay, she didn't want to talk about it any more? Angelica gaped at the four letters, four letters that were stirring up more confusion that all her algebra textbooks from high school combined, four letters that would probably consume her waking days.

 

**From Maria**

_Are you really interested in girls?_

 

And what did  _that_ mean? Did the change of subject mean that Maria was uncomfortable? Or was this a question she was seriously interested in? Would Maria be bothered by Angelica's answer? She doubted it - Maria had seemed perfectly okay with the idea of girls liking girls in the coffee shop, when she encouraged Angelica to pursue Adrienne. Angelica grimaced at the memory. The entire trip had been a disaster and any reminders were unwelcome.

 

**To Maria**

_yeah, does that bother you?_

 

**From Maria**

_No._

_I think I do too?_

_I think I like girls_

_But I've never been with one.'_

 

God, what was Angelica supposed to say to that? Now she couldn't get the idea of dating Maria out of her head, the small domestic things she wanted to share with the girl. She pushed away the image of late-night baking and movie cuddles from her mind. She wouldn't take advantage of someone so vulnerable.

Angelica was still trying to formulate an appropriate response that wasn't 'would you like to try' when the next text came.

 

**From Maria**

_Thank you._

 

Angelica frowned. What had she done to be thanked for?

 

**To Maria**

_what for?_

 

**From Maria**

_For staying even after today's shitshow?_

 

Angelica laughed. For some reason, she couldn't imagine Maria saying 'shitshow'.

 

**To Maria**

_i'll always stay. No matter how many shitshows I end up in._

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i'm so tired i could probably sleep for a century and still need five more minutes
> 
>  
> 
> [lafayettes-baguette](http://www.lafayettes-baguette.tumblr.com)


	6. Chapter 6

The three sisters were sitting on the floor, facing each other as they pondered the circumstances of the situation. Peggy was tugging lightly at a strand of xyr own hair. Eliza's bottom lip was marked with indents after biting it for so long. Angelica was digging her nails into her palm until small crescent moon marks decorated her skin. 

"This is hopeless," Peggy grumbled finally. "Let's just kill him. All in favour, say 'aye'."

"Aye," Eliza mumbled immediately. Angelica barked a laugh in surprise. "But in all seriousness..." 

They fell into silence again.

"Maybe," Angelica began cautiously. "We could focus on Maria instead of Reynolds."

"Isn't that what we've been doing?" Peggy frowned but Eliza's eyes were lighting up with realisation.

"No, we've been trying to find a way to stop Reynolds abusing Maria," Eliza pointed out. "If we help Maria build up her confidence and learn to protect herself against from abuse, she can get out of the relationship!"

"And besides," Angelica added, "If we deal with Reynolds ourselves then Maria will be dependent on us. If something happens to us, she's vulnerable again."

"That's sounds great," Peggy said sceptically. "Except how we do that?"

Silence again.

Angelica sighed. "We need ice cream."

Five minutes later, they were crowded on the couch with a large tub of vanilla ice cream and three spoons. Some sort of crime show was on the tv and none of them had an idea of what was going on, but the dramatic scenes provided a good enough distraction from their dilemma.

"I like Maria," Eliza mumbled around a spoon of ice cream. "I hope we can help her."

"Brain freeze," Peggy moaned.

* * *

 

**From Maria**

_The more white you look, the more attractive society finds you._

 

It was a bizarre text to receive out of the blue but Angelica wasn't fazed, smiling brightly as she read Maria's words.

Maria's and Angelica's relationship was a unique one. They had only met a total of two times but the girls were so similar that they grew close quickly. Soon, they were bonding over texts and Angelica found herself, despite knowing better, falling in love.

She ignored Eliza and Peggy's gentle encouragement (though not so gentle on Peggy's behalf). Maria was in a fragile state and currently entangled in a dangerously precarious situation. She was supposed to be  _helping_ her, not ladling her with even more problems to deal with. For now, she would push her own feelings to the side for her. It was the least Maria deserved.

Speaking of Maria...

 

**From Maria**

_Distinctive African features are considered 'unattractive'._

_Things like broad, flat noses._

_Instead, society says that slimmer noses are the 'must-haves'._

_To the point where black people are getting surgery for noses that don't show their ancestry, their heritage._

_How do people not see that this is harmful?_

 

Angelica grinned. This,  _this_ , was exactly why she loved Maria so much. Just two weeks ago, she had been hesitant, overly-cautious about presenting her opinions and completely unwilling to talk about anything remotely political. And now (god, she felt like she was watching her own daughter progress but she couldn't help it, she was so  _proud_ ), she would text, out of the blue, about small things that bothered her. 

 

**To Maria**

_And other features are used as 'trends', like thick lips._

 

And thus began the texting spree that lasted over an hour, with Angelica and Maria trading issues and complaining about different people who had wronged them. Angelica was too busy laughing over the story of the drunk racist who had ended up pissing his pants to hear Peggy enter the house.

"Ange, why are you in your bra and panties?" 

Angelica looked up, surprised. "How about you knock before you barge into someone's house? It's this thing called 'manners' that other people use."

"Why would you give me the keys if you didn't want me to barge in?" Peggy challenged, hand on xyr hip and xe smirked at Angelica triumphantly, as though she had already won the argument. "But your underwear is cute. It's matching. Matching underwear is always adorable. Wait, you're not sexting, are you?" 

Angelica bit her lip, trying not to smile. Peggy was a bit of a whirlwind and, considering she was living alone, it was just what she needed.

Xyr hair was tossed into a high ponytail and the bright lipstick that coated xyr lips looked familiar. Angelica squinted as Peggy threw xemself onto the couch. That shade of lipstick wasn't one she'd forget easily...

"It was you," she growled suddenly. Peggy, startled, dropped the remote xe had just picked up. Xe frowned at xyr sister.

"What the hell are you on about?" 

" _You stole my lipstick."_

The smile that stretched Peggy's lips was far too innocent to be believable. Angelica was getting ready to pounce on xem but xe quickly grabbed her phone, tapping out the passcode and grinning when xe saw that Angelica was texting Maria. 

"How's lover girl?" xe teased. Angelica sighed, leaning forward to try and snatch her phone back. When Peggy held it just out of reach, Angelica crossed her arms.

"First of all, don't call her that. Second of all, we were having a  _conversation_  before you interrupted. And third, how the hell do you know my passcode?" 

"No gender means no limits to my knowledge," Peggy said smugly as xe flicked through Angelica and Maria's conversation. Angelica wondered vaguely if she should try and stop xyr but knew, all too well, that it would only encourage xem and make xem more curious. 

"How are those two even vaguely related," she grumbled. "Are you done invading my privacy?" 

"Yep," Peggy replied cheerfully as xe tossed the phone back to Angelica. "It's good that you're letting her express herself. Helping her understand that her opinions are valid are definitely in favour of getting her to understand her own self-worth." 

"Thanks, your approval means a lot to me," Angelica said sarcastically, yelping when Peggy pinched her bare side. "Ow, Peggy! I swear to g-"

Peggy pinched her again, this time her stomach. Angelica doubled over in pain before launching herself at her younger sibling. She yanked at xyr collar and Peggy's shriek encouraged her to grab a fistful of hair and tug it. Peggy retaliated quickly with a sharp pinch. Soon, the two of them were punching, kicking, pulling hair, scratching and... did Peggy just lick her?

"You're disgusting," Angelica said, wiping saliva from her arm dramatically. Peggy grinned, completely unapologetic. Xyr hair had fallen down during their little scuffle and xyr cardigan was now halfway across the room. Angelica adjusted her bra before settling on the couch with Peggy again. They say in silence for a moment, both catching their breath. 

"Where's Eliza?" Angelica asked finally. The grin that spread across Peggy's features was terrifying and Angelica almost regretted asking. 

"She refused to say but I think she's going on a date with Adrienne," Peggy said excitedly. "She was fussing over her outfit and she kept asking me if she looked too formal or too casual or if she should wear a beanie or if her heels were too high."

"That's great," Angelica said enthusiastically. "Why the hell didn't she tell us?" 

"Because we'd tease her forever?"

"...True."

Just as Peggy was going to continue talking, Angelica's phone began vibrating, the screen lighting up to show Maria's name. Peggy passed it to her with a barely-repressed smirk and Angelica punched xyr arm.

"What's up, Maria?" Angelica said cheerfully when she picked up. 

There was no response. Angelica moved the phone away to check that she had picked up before moving it back to her ear. The sound of heavy breathing crackled down the line and something that sounded suspiciously similar to a sob reached her ears. Peggy was watching her, concerned.

"Maria?" she repeated gently. "You okay, baby girl?" 

"Fine," Maria mumbled. Angelica breathed a sigh of relief but it didn't last long. Maria sounded  _wrecked_. Her voice was shaky and she sounded as though she had been crying. 

"Maria, do you wanna talk about whatever's upsetting you?" Angelica said as quietly as possible. She threw a panicked glance at Peggy, gesturing wildly with her arms to articulate how out of her depths she was. Peggy was no use - xe was watching Angelica like a deer caught in headlights and didn't look like xe'd be helping her any time soon.

"Not... Not really," came the reply after a worryingly long wait. "Can, can you come pick m-me up? Please? I, um, I, sorry, god, I don't meant to b-bother you-"

"You're not bothering me," Angelica said firmly. If there was one thing she was sure of in that moment, it was that Maria was  _not_ a bother, could  _never_ be a bother to Angelica. "Where are you?"

She stood up, quickly throwing on a shirt and jeans. Perhaps, under any other circumstances, she would have put more care into her outfit but now, she couldn't bring herself to care, not when Maria was out there somewhere, crying and being anything other than happy. Maria was  _never_ allowed to cry, Angelica decided furiously. And anyone who made her do so would face her wrath. 

"E-Entrance of the, um, park. The one that's near the coffee shop we met at. Thank you, Angelica, thank you so much, oh my god..."

"Don't worry about it, sweetheart, I'd do it again for you any day," Angelica said immediately. Peggy snorted loudly and, when Angelica turned around to glare at xem, mouthed ' _gay_ '.

Angelica flipped xem off.

She felt more than nervous when she hung up on Maria. A part of her wanted to keep talking until she got to the park, wanted to continue to listen to her voice and reassure her until she could hug the girl and protect her from the world. But Maria had insisted on hanging up and so, within minutes, Angelica found herself sprinting like a madman to the park.

Sure enough, sitting on a bench at the entrance of the park, was Maria. Even from afar, she looked terrible. She was hunched over herself and, although she was wearing a long-sleeved turtleneck and jeans, Angelica was sure that the bruises had multiplied, if the stiff way Maria was holding herself told her anything. Her face was hidden by her hair, falling around her face but, when Maria looked up, her mascara was running down her cheeks, her eyeliner was smeared and her lipstick had somehow managed to reach her chin.

"Oh, sweetheart," Angelica murmured as she approached. Maria's body language opened immediately and the moment Angelica joined her on the bench, she was leaning towards the other girl.

"I'm sorry, I don't mean to inconvenience you," Maria mumbled as Angelica wrapped her arms around her, tight enough to feel as though she was warding off bad spirits from Maria and yet loose enough to accommodate for any new bruises.

"You're not inconveniencing me," Angelica said confidently. When Maria simply buried her face into the crook of her neck, she continued. "I'm being honest, Maria. You're  _never_ an inconvenience to me. I would gladly pick you up three times a day for years. Because I care about you, okay?" 

Silence. And then, "okay." It was as though those words served as a cue for Maria to break down. Her back shook as she cried onto Angelica's shoulder, her hand clutching Angelica's shirt desperately as though she was afraid that she would disappear. Angelica said nothing, continuing to hug Maria until the sobs turned into sniffles, rubbing soothing circles into her back. 

When Maria finally seemed calm enough to talk, Angelica asked her, "Do you want to tell me what happened?" 

The silence stretched on for so long that Angelica thought that Maria wasn't going to answer her at all and began to wonder if she had even heard the question. Maria's face was still hidden in Angelica's shirt so, when she finally spoke, her words were mumbled. Angelica heard them loud and clear.

"I tried to break up with James." 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes, things have to get worse before they can get better. That's all I'm saying.
> 
> I'm on tumblr [lafayettes-baguette](http://www.lafayettes-baguette.tumblr.com)
> 
> also can we get more second generation theo x angelica fics pls & thanks


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNING: MENTION OF EATING DISORDER!!! 
> 
> AND IT'S NOT GOING TO REMAIN AS A MENTION, I'M GOING TO BE EXPLORING IT
> 
> IF EATING DISORDERS TRIGGER YOU
> 
> DO YOU CONTINUE READING THIS FIC

Angelica froze. On one hand, she was so relieved that Maria was finally free from Reynolds' clutches and yet, with Maria looking so distraught and lost, it was difficult to be happy. Pushing away the emotional conflict, Angelica's arms tightened around Maria and she rested her chin on the top of Maria's head.  
  
"And?" she said carefully. "How did it go?"  
  
It took Maria several minutes and a number of deep breaths before she could steady herself long enough to answer. "Um, not... not well?"  
  
Angelica sucked in a breath. She could only imagine Reynolds' reaction and she doubted it would have been pretty. She waited for Maria to elaborate but, when no further words came, began to hum soothingly as she rubbed circles into Maria's back.  
  
They sat there for a while, silent. Every time someone walked past their bench, Maria would tense and Angelica was mutter comforting words until her body relaxed again. Neither of the girls had any idea how long they were there, but what seemed like minutes (minutes? Hours? Who knew?) later, the sky was darkening. The temperature dropped and, as much as Angelica was unwilling to disturb Maria, the girl would freeze to death.  
  
"Do you want to come over to mine?" Angelica asked softly.  
  
Maria looked up, startled. Angelica followed a tear track with her thumb, wiping away at the wetness. Maria's eyes were still dark with smudged make-up and now they were staring up at Angelica, wide and vulnerable and scared and lost.  
  
"I wouldn't want to inconvenience you," Maria repeated but she sounded like she was on autopilot. Angelica wondered how often Maria had repeated those words. She wondered how often Maria had been told she was an inconvenience.  
  
"It wouldn't be an inconvenience," Angelica said, as firmly as she would dare whilst Maria was in such a vulnerable state. "I'm worried about you, you're my friend and I don't like knowing that my friends aren't in the ultimate state of happiness. Please?"  
  
Maria was still hesitating, hiding her face into the fabric of Angelica's shirt. "I'll be fine."  
  
"Really?" Angelica said sceptically. "Will you?"  
  
Maria's lack of answer told her more than words ever could. Instead, she wriggled herself closer in Angelica's arms until Angelica's lips were brushing against her temple.  
  
"Please," Maria said finally. It was so quiet that Angelica barely heard her, her voice was wavering and she sounded beyond uncertain. But it was all that Angelica needed to whisk Maria away. She tugged the girl to her feet and, slipping off her jacket, draped it around Maria's shoulders.  
  
"You'll get cold," Maria frowned immediately, hands moving to remove the jacket. "It's your jacket, you should wear i-"  
  
"Please?"  
  
Maria watched her silently and, after the most intense staring match Angelica had ever participated in, tugged the dark bomber jacket around her shoulders tightly. It was slightly big on Angelica and even larger on Maria, dwarfing her delicate frame. It was adorable and, frankly, it was getting harder and harder to ignore her feelings for Maria.  
  
Regardless, Maria needed help now. This was her time and Angelica was meant to be helping Maria's recovering, not hindering her with her own selfishness. Angelica's needs could wait. Now, she needed to focus on Maria.  
  
"My place isn't too far from here," Angelica said casually. Maria nodded silently, hands still wrapped around the jacket as she avoided Angelica's eye carefully.  
  
Was she allowed to touch her? Would Maria be uncomfortable if she took her arm? She had no idea how much physical contact was allowed, she had no idea what might trigger the girl.  
  
Angelica was terrified. She couldn't stand the thought of hurting the other girl. But would she even know if she did?  
  
They began to walk. The silence was overwhelming, suffocating, and Angelica wanted so badly to hold Maria until her tears dried and her eyes were no longer puffy. But when Maria made no move to step closer to her -  and Angelica was determined to wait until Maria initiated something - she held back and began to talk. Nothing she said was of importance but the more Angelica babbled, the more Maria seemed to relax.  
  
"Honestly, it's such a convenient place to live, the coffee shop is practically next door, I can walk to my office, there's a restaurant nearby that's cheap as dirt but amazing quality. Oh, and there's that Chinese place just around the corner, I should show you it at some point. The old lady who works there is an absolute sweetheart but she always asks me when I'm going to get married..."  
  
Angelica continued to ramble on and was so preoccupied with concentrating on talking that she didn't notice that Maria had moved closer until their shoulders were brushing. She turned to Maria, surprised, only to find her gaze firmly fixed on the ground she was walking on.  
  
"Can you..." Maria began before trailing off. Angelica waited for a moment, and when Maria didn't continue, probed gently.  
  
"Hey, you can ask," she said, smiling. Maria still seemed hesitant and was still choosing to stare at the cracks in the pavement rather than look at Angelica's face, but she took a deep breath and finished her question. Angelica wondered if the inexplicable pride that welled in her chest was rational.  
  
"Can you hold me?" Maria asked, voice pleading. "I need, I need grounding, I can't, I need to know you're here, please-"  
  
"It's fine, it's okay, don't worry," Angelica hushed as Maria's voice grew more and more tense. She covered one hand over Maria's, stopping her from fidgeting with the hemline of her turtleneck. Her other arm wrapped itself loosely around Maria's waist, pulling her closer until their sides were attached.  
  
"Is this okay?" Angelica asked cautiously.  
  
Maria nodded and Angelica took comfort in the small sigh of relief that escaped the other girl's lips. The remainder of the walk was silent, except the tiny, almost inaudible murmurs under Maria's breath from time to time, sounding suspiciously like 'thank you's. It was dark now and the glow of the street lamps hid Maria's tears but couldn't disguise the occasional sniffle that she heard.  
  
"We're here," Angelica said finally. Maria's eyes glanced curiously over the modest sized house. It was nowhere near as large as the Reynolds' place but Maria didn't seem as though she was bothered. Instead, she pressed herself closer to Angelica, taking deep breaths. "You okay to come in?"  
  
"Please," Maria said quietly, her hand her slipping down to intertwine her fingers with Angelica's as she tugged her up the lawn. Angelica glanced at their linked hands, slightly in shock, before following Maria to the door and, upon unlocking it, inviting the other girl into the house. Peggy appeared to have left - Angelica was glad. As much as she loved xem, she had a feeling that xe would be too much for Maria to handle.  
  
"Sorry, everything's a bit of a mess right now," Angelica said apologetically as she looked around the living room. Three of Peggy's coats were draped across the sofa (Angelica had no idea how they had gotten there), several folders that she suspected belonged to Eliza were on the floor, surrounded by loose sheets of paper. Various other items were randomly scattered across the house.  
  
When Maria almost tripped over six-pack of canned cat food was near the doorway, her face lit up. "You have a cat?"  
  
"No," Angelica admitted, puzzled. "Neither do my sisters. I have no idea where that came from."  
  
Maria opened her mouth, closed it again, frowned, and began to laugh. It started off with small giggles, shaking her body and making the jacket on her back quiver. But within minutes, both of them were doubled over and laughing until their stomachs ached. But the Maria's laughter became sobs and the tears pouring down her face were no longer light-hearted.

Startled but determined, Angelica began to comfort Maria in the only way she could: with her words and hands.

“It's going to be okay,” Angelica mumbled, pulling Maria closer as the sobbing girl buried her face in Angelica's chest. “It's gonna be alright.”

Maria continued to sob and Angelica couldn't bring herself to let go of her, letting her shirt slowly get soaked with Maria's tears.

It took longer, this time, for Maria's tears to dry but when they did, she seemed refreshed and much lighter. Perhaps the cry had done her some good, Angelica mused.

“Sorry,” Maria sniffled, wiping away her tears. She seemed embarrassed and Angelica had no idea how to reassure her that there was nothing to be embarrassed  _about._

The silence that followed was more awkward than any that Angelica had ever experienced with Maria.

“Um, do you want coffee? Tea?” Angelica offered. It pained her to see Maria shuffle awkwardly on the spot, eyes trained on the white fur of the rug. There was a red stain in the corner, after Eliza and Peggy's drinking session last week. Angelica made a note to clean it.

“I’m fine,” Maria said quietly.

Angelica racked her brain for something she could do with Maria, something fun but not emotionally draining. Her dark eyes wandered around the room, glancing over vases of mismatched flowers and packaging boxes before finally resting on the pack of cards that were sprawled on the windowsill.

“Uno!” Angelica announced excitedly. Uno was fun and unlikely to upset Maria, right? Maria looked puzzled, furrowing her brow as she finally looked up to stare at Angelica.

“Dos?” Maria said hesitantly.

“No, the game, Uno,” Angelica elaborated, crossing the room in six wide strides and snatching the pack of cards. “Have you played before?”

Maria shook her head. Her head was no longer bowed in a scarily submissive position and she looked more relaxed. Perhaps Uno would be the trick to distract her from whatever happened with Reynolds - just thinking the name made Angelica want to punch something, preferably him.

“I've never played before,” Maria warned her. Angelica nodded in acknowledgement, sitting cross legged on the rug and smiling brightly as Maria sat opposite her.

“It's okay, I'll explain,” Angelica reassured her. “Now, you have four different colours…”

* * *

 

Maria picked up the rules surprisingly quickly and, within a couple of rounds, was scarily adept at the game. Angelica, who had always considered herself the reigning champion of Uno, found herself struggling to keep up.

“I hate this,” Angelica grumbled as, one card away from winning, she picked up another four cards. “Uno’s a dumb game.”

“Uno,” Maria said smugly. Angelica gaped. There was no way that… Sure enough, there was only one card left in Maria's hand and Angelica was still holding five.

“I hate this,” Angelica moaned again. The card on the top of the pile was a red 7 and Angelica threw down a blue 7 and a yellow 7. She only had three cards left so there was space for redemption. “This is bad for my ego.”

Maria delicately placed a yellow 2 on the top of the pile. “I win,” she said, smiling brightly.

Angelica threw herself backwards in frustration. “I refuse to accept this! This didn't happen!”

Maria began to giggle, gathering the cards into one pile and beginning to reshuffle for their seventh round. She ducked her head down, still smiling, as small delicate hands reshuffled the pack with expertise.

She looked…  _beautiful_. In that one moment, Angelica felt her breath being knocked out of her lungs and realised that, for Maria, she wouldn't mind losing every Uno game she played, just to see her smile like that again.

“Another round?” Maria offered, holding out the pile. Angelica snapped out of her daze to take the cards.

“You're not winning this one,” Angelica warned her. “I am the master of Uno, I will not be beaten by a newbie.”

Minutes later, she was beaten by a newbie. But at least Maria hugged her and stroked her hair to comfort her when she began to sulk.

Maybe losing wasn't so bad after all.

“What's that?” Maria asked as Angelica began to reshuffle the cards. She jerked her in the direction of the keys that were on the arm of the sofa.

“Keys?” Angelica offered, raising an eyebrow. The small tinkle of laughter that followed made it difficult for her to concentrate on what Maria said next.

“No, the little blue figure next to it, with the Disney tag.”

Angelica squinted at Maria suspiciously, trying to discern if the girl was being serious or not. But her face was completely straight and she didn't seem to be joking.

“You're kidding,” Angelica said, voice dropping to a horrified whisper. “There's no way you haven't watched Lilo and Stitch.”

Maria blinked. “Who?”

Angelica abruptly threw down the cards, making Maria jump. She felt sick with guilt immediately; Angelica had probably reminded Maria of Reynolds in that moment and the comparison made her want to run to the bathroom to empty her stomach.

“This is an abomination,” Angelica announced loudly, getting to her feet. “There is no way you are continuing to be my friend without watching Lilo and Stitch.”

She pretended not to see Maria mouth the word ‘friend’ uncertainly before a small smile stretched her lips. Instead, she gently led Maria to the bedroom, firmly dispelling any inappropriate thoughts that followed the sight of Maria sitting delicately on the edge of her bed.

“Listen, this movie is the movie of all movies,” Angelica was saying assertively. “You're gonna love it, I promise you.”

“Is it a kids’ movie?” Maria asked interestedly, looking more comfortable when Angelica returned with her laptop.

“It's an  _amazing_ movie,” Angelica corrected. “Age ain't got nothing to do with it, sweetheart.”

Maria nodded slowly. “So it  _is_ a kids’ movie?”

Angelica, seeing the wicked glint in Maria's eye, threw a pillow at the other girl. “Yeah, I like animated kids’ movies. Fight me.”

Maria laughed, taking the pillow and hugging it to her slender frame. “Who knows? You might convince me to join your clique of baby tv shows and Sesame Street.”

Angelica grumbled playfully, pouting exaggeratedly until Maria pressed a finger to her protruding bottom lip. Her heart stopped for a second and she froze; wrong reaction. Maria was withdrawing her finger quickly, looking embarrassed and ashamed. Feeling her heart shatter at the broken expression on the other girl's face, Angelica opened her mouth to reassure her but was cut off by the opening of the movie.

They watched in silence. Angelica, absorbed in the movie despite it being the billionth time she had watched it, didn't notice Mafia shifting slowly closer until her head rested tentatively on Angelica's shoulder.

Determined not to make the same mistake, Angelica wound her arm around Maria's waist and rested her chin on the top of Maria's head.

She felt, rather than saw, Maria's smile.

The movie progressed with little talking apart from Angelica's occasional commentary and tidbits of information.Whenever Eliza and Peggy watched a movie with her, and even when all their friends got together for movie nights, she was often called out for ruining the movie with her ‘unnecessary background info’ (a statement she resented immensely) but Maria absorbed these comments and even began to question her on some of the facts Angelica was providing.

“Should have made popcorn,” Angelica murmured into Maria's hair.

The close proximity meant that she felt Maria tense immediately at those words. Confused, Angelica lifted her to look at Maria questioningly.

“Trigger?” she asked quietly. Maria's eyes were trained on the laptop screen but seemed glazed and unseeing. She took a deep breath - Angelica felt her body shudder with the weight of her inhale and wrapped her arms her, determined to protect her from the world.

“I…” Maria began before trailing off. She hid her face in Angelica's shirt. “Promise not to judge me?"

“I would  _never_ ,” Angelica promised fiercely, arms tightening around her.

It took several moments for Maria to gather herself enough to speak.”I… I have bulimia.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> gotta thank a bunch of people for this chapter
> 
> [schuylergirls](http://www.schuylergirls.tumblr.com) on tumblr who helped me with pretty much the entire of Maria's backstory, including the main reason for her bulimia
> 
> [thellamaduo](http://www.thellamaduo.tumblr.com) aka [Rainah](http://archiveofourown.org/users/RainahFiclets/pseuds/Rainah) who helped me out when I got stuck after Angelica invited Maria into her house with brilliantly worded advice ("if you don't know, maybe it's because Angelica doesn't know either") and gave me the idea of watching Lilo and Stitch
> 
> Mostly dedicated to [whatareangelheadedhipsters](http://archiveofourown.org/users/whatareangelheadedhipsters/) because I love her basically
> 
> my own tumblr is [lafayettes-baguette](http://www.lafayettes-baguette.tumblr.com)
> 
> (so much links oh my god my brain can't handle this)


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNING: TALKING ABOUT EATING DISORDERS nothing too in depth but please, please, if that triggers you, don't read this

Well. That was  _not_ what Angelica had been expecting.

And yet, it wasn’t hard to believe. Every time Angelica had snapchatted her food to Maria, she would always open but never reply. Angelica had never really questioned it, not before, but now she couldn’t remember a single occasion where Maria had willingly talked about food.

She vaguely recalled mentioning cheesecake at the coffee shop and the argument that had erupted over which flavour of cheesecake was superior… Maria hadn’t contributed. She had looked uncomfortable, shuffling in her seat and fidgeting with her sleeve. At the time, Angelica had thought it was because she had caught Reynolds ogling her. But what if her discomfort had stemmed from the conversation?

She didn’t think she could stomach the idea of making Maria uncomfortable.

“Are you…?” Maria asked hesitantly, beginning to draw away from Angelica’s hold. It was only then that Angelica realised that her silence had stretched on too long.

“Sorry,” she said quickly, tightening her arms around Maria. “When did you… uh…” she trailed off, unsure how to ask the question.

“Years,” Maria mumbled into Angelica’s shirt. “As long as I can remember. I hit puberty earlier than most of the people in my class. I was teased a lot for having boobs and needing to wear a bra. I got called names.”

“I was the same,” Angelica admitted. “With the whole ‘hitting puberty early’ thing. But I had it easy. Peggy used to bite anyone who said anything mean about me or Eliza, and my mother always encouraged me to beat bullies up. It must have been… difficult.”

“It was,” Maria agree quietly.

Her hand travelled from where it rested in her lap and onto Angelica’s thigh, interlocking her fingers with Angelica’s. She wasn’t look at Angelica and instead stared determinedly at the screen. It was a small action but Angelica found everything she thought she knew about their relationship thrown out of the window. She had no idea if hand-holding was a platonic thing friends did whilst watching movies but somehow, she doubted it.

Maybe Maria was insinuating something with the hand-holding. Maybe she was just being friendly. Either way, now was  _not_ the time for such thoughts.

“Does…” Angelica hesitated again. There was a question she  _needed_ to ask, an answer she needed to know, but she had no idea how to ask it without upsetting Maria. There was no way she could ask outright and so she used a more subtle approach. “Does James know?”

What she was  _actually_ asking was whether or not Reynolds had a part in it. What she was  _actually_ asking was if Reynolds made it worse or if he helped her out. What she was  _actually_ asking was if she needed to beat Reynolds up to a pulp until his own mother wouldn’t be able to recognise him.

The way Maria bit her bottom lip suddenly, hand tightening around Angelica’s, told her the answer. And it wasn’t good.

Deep breaths, Angelica told herself. Deep breaths before she ended up doing something rash, like beating Reynolds up. Deep breaths, in and out, in and out. Reynolds would get his comeuppance soon but for now, Maria needed her.

“Okay,” she said aloud. Maria shifted to look at her uncertainly. “Okay, okay. Um, it probably doesn’t mean much but, for what it’s worth, I’m not judging you, I still think you’re beautiful and amazing and funny and cute and everything else I thought you were before you told me that. Okay?”

Maria’s uncertain expression shifted into something more sceptical and Angelica felt  _angry,_  more angry than she had ever felt in her life, because how  _dare_ anyone make someone as perfect as Maria doubt her own self-worth?

Deep breaths, she reminded herself as they finished the movie.

* * *

 

When Maria left (after hugging Angelica tightly and repeatedly thanking her), Angelica threw herself on the couch and stared up at the ceiling.

Bulimia. She didn’t know anyone with eating disorders. Or, at least, she didn’t think she did. How many of her friends were like Maria, hiding away their troubles, putting on smiles and brushing away concerns? What if people she had always assumed were doing fine  _weren’t_ doing fine?

She didn’t know much about bulimia, let alone how to help someone who had it. She reached out her hand to grope wildly at the small stool beside the couch for her phone before unlocking it and beginning to research.

Almost half an hour later, her phone rang. She cursed silently; she was just starting to understand the eating disorder. But Lafayette’s name was flashing across her screen and they  _never_ called, only texted unless it was an emergency. She picked up.

“What’s up?”

“Mon cher,” Lafayette began hesitantly. Their voice was careful, too careful, and Angelica was sitting up in seconds, ready to leave at any moment. “There’s been a bit of a problem, could you possible come to the coffee shop?”

“Oh god, what happened?” Angelica groaned, running a hand over her face as various scenarios flashed before her eyes, each worse than the last. “Which coffee shop?”

“The one which Adrienne works at,” Lafayette supplied helpfully. The normally carefree Frenchperson sounded subdued, almost stressed. It was a surprise to hear them sound anything other than relaxed and the change made Angelica began to slip on her jacket before she even knew where she was going.

“Adrienne?” Angelica frowned. The name sounded familiar. Her mind ran through various faces before finally stopping at one. “The cute barista? Black, long as fuck braids?”

“That’s the one,” Lafayette said, relieved. “Can you… uh, hurry? Merci.”

They hung up without waiting to hear Angelica’s reply. She wasn’t bothered, too busy trying to simultaneously slip on her shoes and zip her jacket up. Hearing Lafayette sound so bothered was an experience she  _never_ wished to repeat.

She left quickly, walking into strangers in her worried daze and almost tripping over a young child at one point. Ignoring the middle-aged mother was muttering profanities and throwing her dirty looks, she reached the coffee shop in record time.

The shop was marked ‘closed’, despite it being opening time. Lafayette was leaning against the door protectively but they stepped aside when they saw Angelica approach. They opened the door, waving her over hurriedly. Inside, Eliza was sitting at a table with her earphones in, looking furious and refusing to look at Adrienne, who was sitting next to her and glancing between Lafayette and Eliza guiltily.

“What happened?” Angelica hissed. Eliza hadn’t look that angry since someone had tried to ask Peggy about xyr genitals after announcing xe was agender.

Lafayette sighed, brow furrowed as they glanced at the table Eliza and Adrienne were sitting at. “You were there when Eliza and Adrienne first got each other’s numbers, oui?”

“Yeah,” Angelica said slowly, crossing her arms. Adrienne was cute but if she hurt Eliza, she was going _down_.

It looked like Lafayette sensed her dark mood because they quickly continued. “Well, they went on one date and they were on their second date today, but I sort of… interrupted?”

Angelica frowned. That didn’t explain why Eliza, sweet cinnamon roll Eliza, looked so pissed. “So?”

“So I told you I was poly, oui? You are already aware of my relationship with Herc but Adrienne and I had to keep things quiet, because her parents wouldn’t approve. But I came because Adrienne wanted to tell Eliza that she was…” They trailed off, apparently unsure of how to finish the story.

“Ah,” Angelica said, as the pieces began to slot into piece.

“We haven’t told anyone else, and I must ask you not to spread the word,” Lafayette said quickly. “But Herc and I are an in a relationship, Adrienne and I are in a relationship and both are fine with it.”

“As long as it’s all consensual, it’s not my business to even think about it too much, let alone spread word,” Angelica shrugged. “So now... “

“She thinks Adrienne is cheating on me and she’s refusing to listen,” Lafayette said pleadingly, grabbing Angelica’s arm. “She’s got those noise-blocking earphones and she won’t let us explain.”

“It’s fine, we can sort this out,” Angelica said soothingly, patting Lafayette’s cheek. “Do you want me to talk to her?”

They nodded, stepping away almost nervously as Angelica began to walk over to the two girls. Eliza’s gaze wavered on her and she seemed uncertain as to whether or not to remove her earphones.

“Do you mind if I talk to her privately?” Angelica asked Adrienne apologetically. The other girl nodded, standing up quickly to join Lafayette across the shop, her long braids swinging behind her back. She had attached small butterflies at the bottom of each braid and Angelica saw Eliza watching them sway as she walked.

“Hey,” she said gently, tugging lightly on the earphones. Eliza removed them immediately, lips pressed together in a thin line.

“Are you going to defend her?” Eliza asked wearily, running a hand through her hair. “Because if so, I’m not sure I want to hear it.”

Angelica grinned wryly. People were often surprised to learn that Eliza was the queen of holding grudges and was the most stubborn out of the three siblings. “Hear me out, for a second? There’s an easy explanation for all this.”

Eliza looked  _tired,_  and Angelica could tell that she was reluctant to hear what she had to say, but she nodded wearily, gesturing for her to continue.

“Adrienne is poly, and so is Laf,” Angelica said. Better to lay down all the cards at once. Eliza blinked, surprised. She opened her mouth to say something but Angelica quickly continued. “Herc already knows about Adrienne - or at least, I’m assuming - and Laf was apparently fully aware that Adrienne was interested in you. No one was cheating on anyone.”

“Oh god,” Eliza said faintly, glancing at the couple absorbed in conversation in the corner before dropping her head into her hands.  “Oh god. I probably should have listened before freaking out, right?”

“Maybe?” Angelica suggested, trying not to smile.“He came in and kissed her across the table when we were on a date,” Eliza said disbelievingly. "He never even told me he was dating her.  _She_ didn’t tell me she was dating him. Why… Why didn’t she mention it?”

“She probably should have told you before now,” Angelica agreed. “But the reason he came today was to tell you.”

Eliza was silent for a moment, staring at the wood of the table for a moment. “I fucked up, didn’t I?”

“Not really,” Angelica said cheerfully. “Wanna talk to them?”

“I’m not sure,” Eliza said quietly. Angelica had never heard her sound so uncertain and it broke her heart. “I… I just embarrassed myself in front of them. They’re probably pissed off right now. They probably think I’m  _such_ a spoilt drama queen, assuming that everyone is monogamo-”

“Hey,” Angelica said firmly. “No shitty self-talk, okay? There’s no one on this earth that’s more patient and forgiving than Laf and that Adrienne girl seems real nice. They might be a bit worried but they’re probably not mad at you.”

“Okay.” Eliza breathed out slowly, finally lifting her head up. She brushed a few strands of hair away from her face before meeting Angelica’s eye. “Okay. But… I don’t love Laf.”

“You don’t need to,” Angelica pointed out. “I don’t think Adrienne loves Herc, from what Laf told me. As long as you’re willing to share Adrienne with them, it doesn’t matter.”

“You make her sound like a possession,” Eliza grumbled. Angelica laughed, knowing that Eliza had made up her mind now. She didn’t say anything for a moment, instead running her hand up and down Eliza’s thigh comfortingly.

“Go get ‘em, tiger,” Angelica winked. Eliza groaned.

“You’re so lame,” she mumbled but she stood up, hesitantly making her way over to Adrienne and Lafayette, both of whom were now watching with rapt attention.

Angelica remained in her seat, watching the three of them talk. At first, the tenseness in Eliza’s shoulders was visible even from afar. But as the minutes passed, all three relaxed and, finally, Eliza stepped closer to press a shy, swift kiss to Adrienne’s lips. The awed look Adrienne was directing at Eliza was just as beautiful as the grin blossoming on Lafayette's face 

Maybe, just maybe, they'd be alright.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> please remember that if you're gonna be in a poly relationship that /all/ participants are aware from the very beginning or you can end up with some really shitty misunderstandings like above
> 
> i've been posting a lot these past three days? updated this fic two days ago, updated je m'appelle lafayette and the jeffermads secret admirer fic yesterday, posted that drunk tattoos lams fic earlier today and now i'm updating again wtf
> 
> i guess this is my apology for disappearing for two weeks?
> 
> anyway, i'm getting more and more invested in eliza/adrienne, adrienne/laf and laf/herc. plus, i'm thinking of introducing a character that i'm really fucking excited about. laf's sister, a transgirl and muslim, enter: MARCELA (but laf actually had a brother called marcel soooo it's not much of a stretch)
> 
> my tumblr: [lafayettes-baguette](http://www.lafayettes-baguette.tumblr.com)


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> also, i should probably warn you that i've never been in an abusive 'romantic' relationship. i use a lot of my own experiences to write these fics and i tweak them a little to fit maria's abuser rather than my own abuser (mostly because it hits too close to home otherwise)

Maria wasn’t answering her calls.

Had it been anyone else, Angelica wouldn’t have been bothered. Perhaps she’d be a little annoyed at the inconvenience. If it were her siblings, she’d come knocking on their door for an explanation. All in all, Angelica wasn’t normally one to be particularly affected when someone was answering her calls.

But this was  _Maria_.

It wasn’t until they  _weren’t_ in constant communication that Angelica realised how often she was texting the other girl. She missed exchanging Snaps with the other girl, using ridiculous filters and pulling faces. She missed sending a picture of a cute cat she saw on her way to the groceries. She missed Maria’s everyday complaints and musings. She missed her.

Still, it was too early to panic. Half a day was hardly long enough to start sending long, anxious messages, so Angelica determinedly locked her phone and continued with her life, trying to ward away thoughts of Maria in vain.

However, it reached evening and Angelica was lying in bed, staring frustratedly at the lack of notifications on her phone.

“What the hell,” she muttered to herself, drawing the covers up to her chin and beginning to type.

 

**To Maria**

_hey, you're probably busy and I don't want to be a bother but could you call me back?_

_or text or something?_

_i just wanna be sure you're okay, thanks darling_

 

Her finger hovered over the ‘send’ button hesitantly. Was she being overdramatic? She bit back a nervous laugh; only Maria had ever been able to make Angelica second-guess herself. Had this been anyone else, she probably would sent the text immediately.

With that in mind, she pressed ‘send’, threw her phone across the room immediately and buried her face into her pillow.

Maria had replied. It had taken hours longer than she normally would have, but she replied. Ignoring all the previous texts Angelica had sent, she had responded only to her last plea for an update.

 

**From Maria**

_I’m fine._

 

And that was all. She didn’t add anything, she didn’t respond to any texts Angelica sent earlier. The snaps remained unopened. The calls continued to go to voicemail.

 

**To Maria**

_did I do anything to upset you? you seem a little off._

 

Angelica  _wasn’t_ panicking. She wasn’t. Maria had told her she was fine and Angelica was going to respect that. There was probably a reason for her silence, whether that was an external

“You’re panicking again,” Peggy said flatly as Angelica checked her phone for the billionth time that day.

The three of them were at the park, feeding ducks. Well, Eliza was feeding ducks, standing as close to the river as she could possibly get as she cooed and threw small chunks of bread. Peggy and Angelica were sitting on the bench, watching her.

“Two days,” Angelica mumbled, frowning. “Two days and all she writes is two words? Is she pissed at me or is there something going on? What the _hell_?”

“It  _is_ a little worrying,” Peggy admitted, holding out xyr hand for Angelica’s phone. Angelica handed it over reluctantly, watching Peggy scroll through their conversations. For all xyr lack of common tact and manners, Peggy was surprisingly good at reading the atmosphere and inferring people’s feelings from it. But when xe returned the phone, xe looked baffled.

“Your last conversation was about Donald Duck,” xe shrugged. “There’s nothing there that looks like it might have offended her. And that was definitely the last thing that got through to her?”

“Yeah,” Angelica sighed, leaning her head back to thump it painfully against the old wood of the bench. “Maybe it’s something else.”

“Probably,” Peggy agreed, snorting slightly as Eliza almost tripped over a large rock. “You okay there, Liza?”

“Stop laughing at me,” Eliza shouted back immediately, not even turning to look at Peggy; a testament to the close bond between the three. Eliza began to make her way back to the bench, pushing Angelica lightly to make space for her.

“So what are we talking about?” Eliza asked cheerfully.

“Angelica’s panicking about Maria,” Peggy said immediately.

“Not panicking,” Angelica corrected quickly, picking at the hem of her sleeve as she scowled. “Just.. slightly, reasonably worried?”

“Uh huh, sure,” Eliza said, not sounding like she believed Angelica at all. “I’ll admit, I’m a little worried too, but there’s nothing we can do now. She said she’s fine, we just have to wait.”

Angelica sighed. She had never been the most patient of people. When she wanted something, she strove to get it immediately and the concept of sitting around and doing _nothing_ was a foreign and unwelcome one.

“Sure,” she said defeatedly as Eliza sent her an apologetic look. Peggy patted her thigh sympathetically. “Who’s up for ice-cream?”

* * *

 

“Angelica,” a quiet voice said, shaking her lightly. She groaned, throwing an arm over her eyes as the artificial light above seemed to burn into her retinas. She wasn’t entirely sure when she had fallen asleep - last she remembered, Herc had been telling her about his latest design for a dress - but now the idea of getting up seemed unbearable.

“What time is it?” she mumbled, screwing her eyes firmly shut as she sat up.

“It’s just past seven,” a voice said and she cracked a single eye open to see Herc hovering over her with a gentle smile. “You okay?”

“Never better,” Angelica groaned, turning over on the couch so that she was lying on her stomach, face pressed into a soft pillow that smelled strangely like peaches and oranges. Alex had probably spilt one of his sodas. “When did I fall asleep?”

“When I was asking for your opinion on this new dress,” Herc said wryly, still smiling.

“Oh god,” Angelica groaned. “I am  _so_ sorry. I’ve been a little stressed these past couple of days and I honestly didn’t mean to fall asleep on you.”

“It’s fine,” Herc dismissed, moving so that he was sitting cross-legged on the floor, surrounded by various fabrics. “You want anything to eat?”

Angelica shook her head as she began to sit up. Several fashion magazines were resting at her feet and she carefully untangled the half-finished knitting piece that had ended up in her hair. “I should get going. Say hi to Laf for me.”

“No need,” an unmistakably-French voice called from the kitchen. “Are you sure you don’t want something to eat?”

Angelica snorted. “Sorry, Laf,” she called out. “But last time I told you I was hungry, you made a three course meal, with starters and dessert.”

Lafayette appeared at the doorway, hair pulled back in their trademark ponytail and clad in a yellow [apron](http://i3.cpcache.com/product/605282321/apron.jpg?height=350&width=350) with the hazardous symbol and the words ‘Hot Stuff Coming Through’ emblazoned on the front. They looked far more indignant than they had any right to.

“That was a  _one time thing_ ,” they argued, pointing a batter-smeared spatula in Angelica’s direction just as she was getting ready to leave.

“No it wasn’t, darlin’,” Herc said absent-mindedly. “You do that all the time.”

Lafayette bristled, hands resting on their hips as they scowled at Herc. “Fine, we’ll see if you get any cookies today,  _darlin’_.”

“I want cookies,” Angelica warned them, zipping up her jacket at the doorway. “I want the biggest batch the moment you’re finished.”

“You’re not getting anything after insulting my cooking,” Lafayette grumbled as they returned to the kitchen. Angelica and Herc exchanged exasperated looks; both knew that Lafayette was going to distribute them across all their friends.

She opened the door, called another apology over her shoulder to Herc and stepped out into the warm March breeze. The moment she left, her mind was plagued with thoughts of Maria again. She groaned. The main reason for her visit had been to distract herself from the other girl but apparently it hadn’t worked.

She checked her phone again. No messages. No missed calls. Nothing.

With a sigh, she made her way home again.

* * *

 

Angelica was lying in bed when she received the text. Splayed out across her back and lazily flicking through a book, her phone had buzzed with a notification. She spared the lit screen a glance but ignored it - she had been meaning to read this book for ages and was on the best part.

She continued to read, losing herself in the words printed across the pages. The window was open and the sound of chirping birds and the indistinguishable chatter from strangers filled the room like a white, background noise. The warmth of the sun radiated through to her very bones and it had been too long since she had felt so content.

Her phone buzzed again. Someone was calling her and, when she glanced at it impatiently, saw it was Maria.

She had never moved so fast in her life. Her fingers fumbled as she tried to pick up, almost dropping the phone. The book lay open on the covers, forgotten.

“Maria?” she asked, cursing the breathlessness quality that was far too audible in her voice.

“Hey,” Maria said cheerfully. She sounded completely unbothered, like she hadn’t suddenly stopped all contact for three days after weeks (months?) of constant texting. “I’m back!”

Angelica moved so that she was sitting on the edge of the bed, clutching the phone as though it was a lifeline. “Back from… where?”

“Greece!”

Maria sounded so happy, so  _relaxed_ , and suddenly Angelica felt silly for worrying. Maria was an independent person, she was  _allowed_ to go wherever she wanted without contacting Angelica. Who was Angelica to her, anyway? She wasn’t her mum, her sister, her fiancé. She didn’t have the right to demand regular updates on where Maria was going.

Had Maria thought about Angelica even once?

Pushing the thought aside, Angelica focused on the conversation. “That’s so cool! I didn’t even know you were going, when did you leave?”

“Me and James left on Thursday. It was a little impromptu but James wanted to make it a surprise. Angie, Greece is  _so_ beautiful! The beaches are so pretty and they’ve got  _loads_ of old monuments and a bunch of historical stuff you’d love!”

Reynolds?

When had they gotten back together?

“That sounds amazing!” Angelica gushed. It was a difficult task not to scowl at the mere mention of Reynolds but it was a task made easier by how excited Maria sounded. The other girl seemed simply overjoyed by the trip. “Send me some pictures, okay?”

“They’re all Polaroids,” Maria said apologetically. “James said that I’m not allowed to go on my phone whilst we were there because it ruins the romance. I asked him to send you that message but other than that, it was no outside communication.”

Maria sounded perfectly casual but Angelica’s heart stopped beating for a moment. No outside communication? That wasn’t a choice Maria had made willingly, not if the words ‘James said’ told her anything. It was terrifying, knowing that Maria was so unbothered by her fiancé's overbearing control over her decisions. How long had this been going on, that she could say those words without sounding the least bit upset?

“That sounds lovely,” she said calmly. “I bet you guys had an amazing time. You still knackered from your flight or do you wanna meet up?”

“I can’t, I’m making dinner for James,” Maria said, sounding well and truly sorry. “I wanna do something nice for him as thanks. He’s still asleep so I’m thinking of surprising him with all his favourites. Maybe tomorrow?”

“Right,” Angelica said, trying to fit as much warmth into the words as possible. “You have fun then, yeah?”

“Thanks, Angie.”

“No problem.”

Angelica’s heart hurt by the time she hung up.

Why was she so surprised that Reynolds had arranged a spontaneous trip for Maria? She had assumed that he was a douche  _all_ the time but this made more sense. Maria was less likely to leave him if he pretended that he was truly sorry. And Maria seemed  _smitten_ when she was talking about him.

Reynolds was a lot clever than Angelica had given him credit for.

She lay back down on the bed, frowning at the ceiling. She needed a distraction, anything to help her forget Maria and Reynolds and that stupid trip. She glanced at the book that lay, neglected, on the sheets before looking away. She was in no mood to read.

Picking up her phone, she dialled a number.

“Alex?”

“Hey, Angie. What’s up?”

Alex sounded distracted and Angelica could hear faint tapping noises, a tell-tale sign that he was working again. She imagined him curled up in a chair in those over-sized hoodies he always insisted on wearing.

“Dude, have you taken a break at  _all_ today?” she said, examining her fingernails. There was a piece of skin beginning to peel off her index finger which was beginning to hurt, and she sucked on it distractedly.

“I had breakfast  _and_ lunch, that’s plenty of time to count as a break,” Alex argued immediately and Angelica snorted.

“Yeah, whatever. Come over before you overwork yourself to death. It’s a Saturday, take a fucking break.”

“I  _can’t_ , I’ve go-”

He cut off and Angelica raised an eyebrow. The sound of mumbled conversations came through the line as she waited impatiently for Alex to start talking again.

“Hey, Angie,” a different voice said. A grin spread across Angelica’s face.

“Hi, John,” she said. “You trying to get Alex to finally unwind?”

“The guy never listens,” John sighed dramatically. A faint, indignant ‘hey!’ was heard in the background and Angelica snorted.

“Listen, I kinda need a distraction,” she admitted finally. “Come over? I’ve got drinks but I need a drinking buddy.”

“I’ll bring Alex too,” John promised, ignoring the annoyed mumbling in the background. Presumably Alex, complaining about being dragged away from his precious work. “Are Eliza and Peggy there?”

“For once, no. It’s just me. Grab anyone else who’s free?”

“Mind if I invite James over?”

“James who?” she said sharply. Was John… no. He couldn’t be friends with James Reynolds. That was ridiculous. But which other James would he be talking about? John’s voice was casual, far too casual and Angelica’s heart was beating too fast because  _what the actual hell._

“Uh, James Madison,  _duh_. What do you mean, ‘who’?”

Angelica barked a surprised laugh. Madison. Of course. Because John and James were on a first-name basis. Because they didn’t hate each other. Because apparently they were close enough for John to invite him over for drinks.

“Since when did you call him ‘James’? Last I knew, he was still 'Madison' to you,” she said delightedly, resting her head in her chin.

“You call him James too.”

“Yeah, but that’s because we talk. Give me all the deets. I had  _no_ idea you guys even talked to each other.”

“We bonded over trying to stop Alex and Jefferson from fighting,” John said, the laughter evident in his tone. “We team up so that I know where Jefferson is, he knows where Alex is and we can make sure both avoid each other.”

“That’s…” Angelica paused for a moment. “That’s kind of amazing. Yeah, bring him over.”

“Will do.”

She hung up. For a moment, her gaze lingered on ‘messages’, where she still hadn’t read the text Maria had sent earlier. Her finger hovered over it for a second before she locked her phone. She was trying to  _distract_ herself from Maria.

Instead, she opened up an app, a mindless game that she didn’t remember installing. She had no idea how to play, had no idea if she was winning or losing, but her attention remained on the small worms wriggling around the screen instead of wondering where Maria was now, what she was doing, what  _James_ was doing.

She had no idea how long she spent playing but what seemed like minutes later, the doorbell was ringing. She slid off the bed, padding barefoot towards the door and pulling it open to reveal John, Alex and James. 

Of  _course_ , Alex was wearing an oversized hoodie, she thought to herself.

“I’m only here for the drinks,” Alex warned immediately, looking disgruntled. Angelica shot him a look.

“Hello to you too, I’m fine, thanks for asking,” she said sarcastically, stepping aside to allow them to enter. Alex didn't hesitate to make his way in, not even stopping to take his shoes off, that bastard. 

“Thanks,” John said quietly as Alex made himself comfortable on the couch. “I’ve been trying to get him away from his laptop for the past two hours. This was perfect timing.”

“No problem,” she smiled. John patted her arm gratefully, walking past her to sit next to Alex on the couch. Alex curled beside him immediately and she spared them a fond grin; the two boys seemed to be made for each other. It was sickeningly cute and it made Angelica nauseous. 

“Hey, James,” she said instead, turning to the other man. He was wearing his trademark sweaters, soft and dark. Thomas often complained about James' choice in clothing, grumbling something about how it hid the fact that James had 'a body chiselled by the hand of god himself, I swear Angelica, have you  _seen_ his arms?' (Angelica had never seen James' arms, mostly because he was always wearing enough layers of clothing to help him survive the Arctic - the poor man had extremely weak health.)

“Hi, Angelica,” he replied, voice low.

“Where’s your boyfriend?” she teased lightly as he toed off his shoes.

James’ skin was too dark to show his blush but the way he glanced away embarrassedly told her enough. He and Thomas had started dating, finally, after years of pining. Angelica liked James, he was quiet and calm and put together, and although she didn’t talk to him as much as Thomas, they often recommended each other books they thought would interest the other. He could keep up intellectually and had subdued but fashionable taste. Lord knew how he had ended up with Thomas, of all people.

“He’s off on a business trip,” he told her, a small smile dancing across his lips. “Otherwise, I wouldn’t have bothered coming.”

“I should probably be offended but that’s so you,” Angelica retorted. “Holed up in your house and only ever leaving when your pretty little boytoy isn’t there to entertain you.” She pulled a face. “Not that Thomas is pretty. Don’t tell him I said that.”

James laughed. “I don’t think his ego needs any more stroking,” he agreed.

The doorbell rang again and Angelica turned to face the three men quizzically. “Did you guys invite anyone else?”

When they shook their heads silently, she shrugged. Perhaps it was Peggy or Eliza. Maybe Lafayette had finished with the cookies and had decided to send them over. Or maybe Herc wanted her to model for another dress. She swung open the door, expecting to see anyone but the girl who stood there.

“Oh,” Maria said, looking startled upon seeing the number of people. “Sorry.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so it turned out laf didn't have a brother called marcel lmao. but i'm still making marcela a thing because trans muslims don't get enough love and i'm gonna fix that.
> 
> so i love the idea of john and james bonding of jefferham (jamilton?) arguments. fight me. (no but seriously. imagine. alex and thomas are arguing and, behind them, john and james make eye contact and roll their eyes)
> 
> i'm not sure if the link in the fic works so if not, this is [laf's apron](http://i3.cpcache.com/product/605282321/apron.jpg?height=350&width=350)
> 
> my tumblr: [lafayettes-baguette](http://www.lafayettes-baguette.tumblr.com)


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> guess who's alive lmao

“Maria!” Angelica said delightedly, the matter of James completely forgotten in the wake of seeing Maria’s face after so long. When, exactly, was the last time she had seen Maria? Too long, she decided. Suddenly, she felt inadequate in her spaghetti top and shorts. “Do you wanna come in?”

Maria hesitated, gaze flickering nervously to the three males. John was smiling languidly and even James’ lips had quirked up a little in a surprisingly warm way. Alex, on the other hand, was watching her closely with little attempt at hiding his curiosity. Angelica resisted the urge to glare at him.

“I don’t want to intrude…”

“You’re not intruding,” James said smoothly. “We were just going to have a drink or two. You’re welcome to join us.”

Angelica shot James a grateful look before extending a hand to Maria. “The more the merrier, right?”

Maria still looked uncertain but she stepped timidly into the house, shedding the faux fur coat that was draped around her shoulders. Her head was bowed and she was carefully avoiding everyone’s eye as she toed off her heels. Alex was still staring and only looked away when John poked him sharply.

“You okay?” Angelica murmured in Maria’s ear, hand resting lightly on her arm. Maria nodded, a small, shy smile gracing her features.

“I’m fine,” she said. She paused, glancing at the boys again. “Uh, I can go back if you want?”

“No,” Angelica said firmly. “No, you’re always welcome here. But I can kick this lot out if you want?”

“What happened to ‘always welcome here’?” Maria teased, though she looked infinitely more at ease.

“Yeah, well, that’s not applicable to them,” Angelica shot back. She leaned against the wall of the hallway, watching Maria giggle. She was beautiful. Her hair was hastily pulled into a high ponytail, but the strands that were too short curled around her face, framing her like the intricately-carved gold frames that showed off masterpieces at art museums.

“Are you two gonna make bedroom eyes at each other all day or are you coming?” Alex’s voice rang from the hall, shaking the two girls out of their stupor. There was a sound – probably John hitting Alex for his insensitivity – and a whisper of ‘don’t ruin the moment!’

Angelica grinned at Maria, who, despite herself, looked amused by the antics of the boys. John peeked into the hallway, features arranged into a sympathetic expression. “We can leave if you want?”

Angelica had no problem kicking the boys out but Maria quickly answered, “Oh no, I don’t want to be a bother!”

“You wouldn’t be a bother,” Angelica corrected her before turning to John, who was beginning to smile. “It’s fine, you can stay.”

John nodded. “Still want that drink?”

Maria tensed up beside her and Angelica shot her an inquisitive look. Her gaze was carefully trained on the floor and she didn’t look up until Angelica brushed her shoulder lightly. Her brow was furrowed slightly and she whispered to Angelica, “I should go.”

Angelica's brow furrowed in concern. “Do you not feel comfortable if we drink?”

Maria took a deep breath, eyes flickering back to the floor. “James drinks a lot,” was all she said but it was enough for Angelica to understand. Was Reynolds a violent drunk? She had no idea but, if it was making Maria uncomfortable, then there was no way in hell she was going to upset her.

“We won't drink,” Angelica promised. Maria nodded after a moment, looking relieved.

Taking Maria by the elbow, she led her gently into the living room where Alex was half sitting in John’s lap. James was sitting next to them with a pained expression that only looked more and more defeated as Alex nipped at John’s collarbone.

“Please tell them to control their hormones,” James grumbled as Angelica and Maria sat down. Angelica grinned, throwing a cushion at the two intertwined boys.

“I’ve seen bunnies that are less horny than they are,” Angelica agreed. “Get it together, guys, I wanna introduce Maria.”

Alex and John finally (and reluctantly) separated, a smug smirk on the former and a sheepish grin on the latter. Maria stifled a small giggle, covering her mouth with the back of her hand.

“This is Maria,” she announced. “She’s my favourite person in this room and I will fight you if you hurt her. Got it?”

“That was unnecessarily violent,” James pointed out, leaning back on the couch as his gaze drifted lazily towards Maria. “But understood.”

“I’m Alexander Hamilton,” Alex smiled, holding out his hand. Maria hesitated for a second, glancing towards Angelica almost as though she was asking for permission. When Angelica did nothing but smile, she slowly shook Alex hand. “But just Alex is fine.”

“John Laurens,” John introduced, his grin bright and welcoming. “I’m Alex’s boyfriend.”

“James,” the last male said simply.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you all,” Maria said quietly and the smile that stretched her lips was genuine. Angelica felt a sudden burst of affection at seeing her friends get along so well.

James was leaning forward interestedly, gaze fixed firmly on Maria’s face. He didn’t say anything for a moment and all four of them watched him with varying degrees of wariness. Maria shifted uncomfortably, eyes flickering between Angelica and James.

“So tell me,” James said finally. “What is your stance on LGBTQ?” 

Maria looked startled. “Um, I don’t have a problem with it?” She glanced at Angelica again, not speaking until Angelica rested a comforting hand on her arm. “I think they need more rights and a lot more representation in media but…” She trailed off, shrugging awkwardly.

James nodded, looking satisfied.

Angelica, meanwhile, gnawed on her bottom lip. Maybe it was because this was the first time Maria was meeting John, Alex and James, but it worried her how often Maria was glancing at her. It looked too much like she was asking for _permission_ to speak and it was terrifying, knowing that there was a possibility that Maria was expecting the same behaviour from Angelica as she experienced with Reynolds.

She didn’t say anything, her mind wandering as she half-listened to Maria exchange pleasantries with the boys. It occurred to her, with a jolt, that she should be thankful that none of them had questioned the lack of alcohol.

“I’m Team Stark all the way,” James was saying firmly, ignoring the way John was shaking his head disbelievingly. “No one is above the law, not even superheroes. It’s all nice and cute that Steve’s long-lost love remembers him again, but evading the law and thus putting lives at risk isn’t helping  _at all_.”

“That,” John said solemnly, “Is the most bullshit thing I’ve heard in _ages_ , and I live with Alex.”

“Hey!" Alex said indignantly, making the others laugh.

"Sorry, love." 

"I’m literally just here for Black Panther,” Alex mumbled into John’s shirt.

“Well, _I’m_ still pissed off that they had the nerve to call Civil War ‘diverse’,” Angelica grumbled, crossing her arms. The action drew Maria’s gaze to Angelica’s chest before glancing away quickly. If it had been anyone else, perhaps Angelica might have made a move. But this was _Maria_ , so the information was filed into the back of her mind and the matter was dropped almost immediately.

Alex sat up immediately, startling John. “I _know_ , right? There are only  _three_ black people, no other races, and literally everyone else is white, but apparently that’s meant to be ‘diverse’.”

There was a warm weight on Angelica’s bare thigh and she glanced down to see a tanned hand resting on it lightly. She looked back up at the owner of the hand, but Maria wasn’t looking at her, nodding emphatically and looking completely distracted as she began to speak.

There was little to no chance that Maria even meant anything by it. It pained her to admit but there was no chance of a relationship between them, no matter how much she liked Maria. Angelica was a reasonable person and she wasn't going to sit around waiting for something that would never happen.

She wanted shift under Maria's hand, to move and alleviate some of the pressure that was beginning to spark warmth in her groin. But if she began to fidget, would she upset Maria?

“Angelica?”

She looked up, startled, to see all four of her guests watching her. Maria's hand left her thigh.

She forced a light laugh. “Sorry, what?”

“We were just saying that we should get going,” John said, gesturing towards Alex, who was nodding.

“But you just got here!” Angelica began to protest before she saw the exasperated look on John's face. Suddenly, she had an inkling of why they needed to leave. “Alex, you're not working again, are you?”

“I can't help it,” he cried, running a hand through his hair as he leaned forward with an excited grin. “Maria just gave me the most _amazing_ idea, and I really need to get it down before I forget it!”

Angelica looked at Maria, who shrugged, looking well and truly bewildered by the sudden turn of events.

“There are phones for a reason,” James pointed out but Angelica just rolled her eyes. She gestured towards the door, indicating that they see themselves out.Alex was out of the door like a shot, shouting something about it being ‘a pleasure’ to Maria. John followed at a more leisurely pace, stopping to hug Angelica and press a swift kiss on her cheek.

“It was lovely meeting you,” John smiled at Maria, who ducked her gaze. With a final nod towards James, he followed his boyfriend out of the house.

“I guess I should be going too,” James said with an apologetic smile. He clapped a hand on Maria's shoulder, but quickly withdrew it when she flinched violently. “Thank you for having us,” he said to Angelica and turned to Maria. “You have some lovely ideas. I hope we meet again soon.”

And he, too, left, leaving Angelica and Maria on the couch alone.

“What do you think?” Angelica asked, feeling uncharacteristically nervous. Maria smiled brightly, eyes crinkling up in the way that always made Angelica's heart skip a beat or two.

“You have nice friends,” Maria answered. The surge of relief that flooded Angelica was beyond words and she slumped against the cushions.

“You liked them?”

Maria hesitated for just a beat too long before beginning to answer. “Yeah.”

“You can tell me if you didn’t,” Angelica reassured her quickly. The last thing she wanted was Maria being unsure of whether she was allowed to express her own opinion, especially when she had already made such progress since the first time they had met.

“Alex was…” Maria paused, as though she was looking for the right words. “A bit of a whirlwind. He was lovely, don't get me wrong, but he's a little difficult to keep up with.”

“He can be pretty draining,” Angelica agreed. “I have no idea how John can handle him.”

Maria nodded, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. Angelica watched her slender fingers move and was reminded suddenly of the way that same hand had rested, warm and soft, on her thigh. She felt her cheeks grow hot, quickly diverting her gaze as she searched desperately for a change of subject.

“Are you okay?” Maria frowned, small crease lines appearing across her forehead. Angelica forced herself to smile.

“Fine,” she reassured her. “Hey, did I tell you about Eliza and Adrienne?”

Maria shook her head, looking curious. “No? Who's Adrienne?”

“Remember the barista with the braids at the coffee shop?” Angelica began excitedly. When Maria nodded, she continued quickly. “Well, she was actually dating one of my friends, Lafayette! Who's also dating my other best friend, Herc. But Adrienne is also dating Eliza now!”

“So they broke up or… are they cheating?” Maria asked, looking adorably confused.

“They're poly,” Angelica explained. “Here, I've got some pictures of them, hold up…”

She pulled our her phone, searching through it for a picture of Lafayette. It didn't take long; the Frenchperson often stole people's phones for the express purpose of filling their gallery with pictures of their - admittedly gorgeous - face.

“ _That's_ Laf, and behind him, in the corner, is Herc,” Angelica said, tilting the phone so that Maria could see them clearly. “His full name is actually Hercules, but he gets grumpy if you call him that.” Angelica paused. “I think it might be because we start singing Disney songs whenever someone says it.”

“That _might_ be the reason,” Maria giggled. “They're both really good-looking, why are all your friends attractive?”

“Oh, I hate it,” Angelica groaned, throwing her head back dramatically. “Do you know how _annoying_ it is when you put effort into your outfit and then you get showed up by your friends?”

“I find it difficult that _you_ , of all people, get showed up,” Maria said, sounding amused. Angelica raised a curious eyebrow.

“And why do you say that?”

Maria shrugged, smiling. “You’re gorgeous.”

Angelica opened her mouth and closed it, momentarily lost for words. When was the last time she had been speechless? Somehow, she wasn’t surprised that it was Maria who managed to render her inarticulate. She willed her cheeks to cool as she smiled back at Maria.

“Thanks,” she said. “But you’re just as gorgeous, if not more."

Maria rolled her eyes good-naturedly. Angelica swatted her arm playfully, laughing when Maria yelped.

They sat in companionable silence for a while. Neither of them said anything but the silence wrapped around them like a blanket, warm and comforting. There were no words that could possibly describe the warmth that accompanied the others presence, no sentences that could possibly do it justice.

Maria’s head fell to rest on Angelica’s shoulder and her hand returned on Angelica’s thigh. It was affectionate and Angelica, despite her _knowing_ that she was probably getting too attached, couldn’t help but wrap an arm around Maria’s shoulder, tug her closer and bury her nose into her hair, breathing in the pleasant scent of coconuts.

“Kudos for the coconut oil,” Angelica mumbled. She felt trembles run through Maria’s body as she laughed.

“Thanks.”

Another pause. The silence would have been awkward if it had been with anyone who wasn’t Maria.

“Did you read my text?"

Angelica remembered, with a start, the text that had been sent to her before Maria had called. She still hadn’t opened it, completely forgetting it after Maria’s call.

“No,” Angelica admitted, leaning over to reach the phone that lay not too far away from them. Maria caught Angelica’s hand, intertwining their fingers and bringing them back into her lap. Angelica swallowed.

“Leave it,” she said quickly.

“I’m gonna see at some point,” Angelica reminded her but she made no effort to move her hand again. She was perfectly comfortable with revelling in the warmth of Maria’s fingers to worry about her phone.

“Later, then,” Maria said almost pleadingly. “When I’m gone.”

Angelica nodded immediately. Anything, she’d do anything for Maria.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> just so you guys know, i changed james reynolds to reynolds instead of james, so that i can call james madison 'james' instead
> 
> I'M SORRY I HAVEN'T UPDATED IN TWO WEEKS 
> 
> i'd say that i'll update faster but who the fuck even knows anymore 
> 
> (also, i should probably tell you guys that my pronouns are they/them? in case you didn't already know)
> 
> my tumblr is [lafayettes-baguette](http://www.lafayettes-baguette.tumblr.com) (which is actually my sideblog, main blog is a georges lafayette rp blog aka [ask-agender-georges-lafayette](http://www.ask-agender-georges-lafayette.tumblr.com) sooooooo i follow/ask/like from there)


	11. Chapter 11

Maria had been escorted out and, after adamantly refusing to be walked home, Angelica found herself sprawled alone across the couch once more. She was gripping her phone tightly, thumb hovering over the messages button as she stared up at the ceiling. Needless to say, the peeling plaster provided no answers to her dilemma.

What had Maria sent that she was desperate to leave before she read it?

It was definitely something that would provoke a reaction, that was for sure, or Maria wouldn’t have been so insistent on not waiting around to see Angelica read it. Possibly something that Maria believed would lower Angelica’s opinion of her, but that wasn’t much use when Maria was so insecure. Maybe she was admitting James’ abuse. Maybe she was confessing her love for Angelica. Both were as unlikely as each other.

She took several deep breaths and, with her eyes still trained on the ceiling above, tapped the screen.

She opened Maria’s chat and read the long paragraph. It was sloppy, a lot of the punctuation was missing and there were more typos than usual. It was a testament to how upset she was, considering her usual texting style with capital letters, apostrophes, the whole nine yards. And the reason was evident as she began to process the words on the screen.

 

**From Maria**

_Im really sorry, for everythng_

_Im sorry for being a burden all the time_

_I wish i could stand up for myself but i cant_

_The least i can do is tell you the truth_

_I owe yu that, at least_

_James is abusing me_

_He made it clear that i wont make it out of this relationshp alive if i try to leave agan_

_Im sorry i failed_

 

Angelica felt the breath get knocked out of her chest with each word. She had known, no, suspected strongly, but hearing, or rather, reading the words directly from the victim made her stomach drop. This was enough, these text were enough, for Angelica to go the police. This was evidence. If Maria refused to press charges or even make a statement, she had a clear confession here. She could get James solved, once and for all.

But Maria deserved better than that. Maria deserved more than someone who would purposefully go behind her back to do the one thing she had asked never to do, the one thing she was afraid of more than anything. Why add to Maria’s trust issues?

With a deep sigh that seemed to force all life out of her body with the exhale, Angelica began to tap a short and hopefully not overwhelming response. It was harder than expected; how did one respond to their relatively new friend admitting their fiance’s abuse?

 

**To Maria**

_you don’t owe me anything_

_you don’t owe anyone anything_

_you have the right to keep your secrets if you want to_

_regardless, i’ll still be here for you_

 

She spent longer than she would admit staring at Maria’s words, re-reading again and again to soak up as much information as possible. In terms of a confession, there wasn’t much there to give Angelica background knowledge of how long it had been going on, any possible reasons behind it. Merely apologies, as though Maria had been the one who had done something wrong.

Angelica was so absorbed in the words that she startled when a message popped up; not from Maria, but Lafayette.

 

**From Laf**

_we’re having a get-together tomorrow at my place_

_my sister is coming from france and we’re all going to welcome her_

_no excuses!_

 

Angelica snorted. Lafayette had a habit of making their ‘get-togethers’ seem like a small affair with only a few close friends. This was, unsurprisingly, never the case. To Lafayette’s credit, they did have a fair number of people that they were extremely close to and it made sense to want to invite them all, but it was all too easy for their small get-togethers to turn into a full-blown college-style party. Though recently, Lafayette had been hosting less of them; maybe they had finally grown up.

 

**To Laf**

_didn’t know you had a sister??_

 

**From Laf**

_now you do_

 

And when Angelica fell asleep that night, she dreamt of Frenchwomen and pretty girls with red lipstick.

* * *

 

“It doesn’t even look good on me,” Eliza grumbled as she shot a dirty look at the mirror. “Why does it look so good on Peggy but look weird on me?”

“You look fine,” Peggy said boredly as xe scrolled through xyr phone, not even looking up. “Why are you worrying so much?”

“Yeah, you never spend this much time on your outfits,” Angelica said as she approached her sister slowly with a wide grin. Eliza gave her a wary look before continuing reapply her lipstick for the billionth time. “Something special happening?”

“No,” Eliza said sharply. Angelica and Peggy snorted disbelievingly, staring at her and waiting for her to break. She glared at them back, lips set into a thin line and nostrils flared but, within seconds, the throat was working as though she was trying not to speak. Sure enough, the dam broke seconds later.

“Adrienne’s going to be there,” she admitted. Peggy leaned over to share a high-five with Angelica, both of them crowing triumphantly at breaking their sister. “I don’t want her to look at Laf, who looks flawless all the time, and then look at me, and regret dating me, you know?”

The smiles slid of Angelica and Peggy’s faces.

Angelica sighed, unable to even find the words to argue with Eliza’s statement. “I hope you know how stupid you sound right now,” she said finally, lips pursed in disappointment. Eliza was, most of the time, realistic and fairly confident and yet occasionally, she would fall victim to episodes of undeserved crippling insecurity that she would stubbornly cling to. It was moments like this that she would doubt anything and everything.

“It's not stupid,” Eliza argued immediately, busying herself with the buttons of a blouse. “Laf's gorgeous.”

“And so are you,” Peggy pointed out, looking as though xe was one stupid comment away from rolling xyr eyes into another dimension. “Adrienne's lucky to be dating both of you and she wouldn't have asked you out if she didn't think you were beautiful.”

Eliza didn't look convinced but she didn't argue either, trying on yet another dress. It was surreal to see her fuss over clothing; she had always been the most practical of the three, picking outfits at random and never fussing too much over her appearance. It was, in a way, endearing, and Angelica vowed to herself that, when she reached the party, she would give Adrienne the best shovel talk of a lifetime.

Finally, Eliza settled (reluctantly) on a pastel purple summery dress and matching gladiator heels. Peggy had donned a pair of ripped jeans and a plaid shirt (or, as xe referred to it, “the clothing of our people”). Angelica had chosen a white crop top and white jeans, not feeling the need to impress if no one important, like Maria, was going to be there.

She considered inviting Maria, if only for the opportunity to meet some of her friends and have a good time but discarded the thought quickly. Lafayette’s gatherings were often used as a chance for the French person to show off their culinary expertise and force-feed people their French dishes. Maria would probably feel uncomfortable and Laf, bless their queer heart, had no idea when to stop.

It would have been nice to have Maria there though.

She put Maria out of her mind as the three of them made their way to Laf’s place, teasing Eliza about Adrienne and singing cheesy pop songs at the top of their lungs. It was fun, being able to relax and not think about work or obligations or abusive fiances that she was trying desperately not to beat up. Eliza and Peggy were queens are noticing when Angelica seemed distant and knew exactly how to bring her back down to earth before she overworked herself, with the help of old songs they hadn’t listened to since the early 2000s.

Survivor by Destiny’s Child began to blast through the microphone and Angelica’s mind flitted suddenly to her first meeting with Maria, running down the streets in the pouring rain as they sang. Her mind clenched with a yearning to see her laugh like that again.

“Earth to Angie,” a voice said and Angelica snapped out of her daze to see Peggy leaning forward in the backseat, chin resting on the back of xyr chair as xe grinned at Angelica.

“If the car hits a bump,” Angelica warned xem, “Your chin is gonna smash into the chair and ruin your face even more.”

“Even more?” Peggy squawked indignantly, looking so comically offended that both Eliza and Angelica began to laugh.

Peggy huffed, lip jutting out into a dramatic pout that served to do nothing but make xem look like a child. Xe ignored all of their attempts to make xem talk or laugh, though xyr lips began to quiver when Angelica began to drill Eliza about Adrienne once more.

“What’s your favourite thing about Adrienne?”

Eliza sighed, the deep, meaningful ones she let out sometimes that made her seem more like the oldest sister than Angelica did. Her eyes were still trained on the road and yet Angelica got the feeling that, if she wasn’t driving, Eliza would probably be rolling her eyes into the next dimension. It didn’t deter her; in fact, the idea that she might be bothering her sister only encouraged her more.

“None of your business.”

“Tell us,” Peggy encouraged with a wicked smirk. “Go on, name just one thing and we’ll leave you alone.”

“For the rest of the night,” Angelica added.

“For the rest of the night,” Peggy agreed, looking vaguely reluctant as xe did so. But then again, xe had never been one to keep xyr promises.

Eliza sighed again. “She has a nice smile.”

A disdainful snort sounded from the backseat and both sisters turned around to see Peggy shaking xyr head disappointedly. “That’s way too generic. We need deets, sis.”

“Fine,” Eliza snapped, gaze trained on the road once more as her cheeks began to flush slightly. “She’s got crow’s feet when she smiles and it makes her eyes crinkle up. Her cheeks look squishier and she’s got a dimple that’s too high up her cheek. And it’s cute. Okay? Are you happy now?”

The car was silent for a moment and the only sounds were the hum of the engine and the noises of the outside world seeping into the metal.

“That was…” Angelica paused, trying to choose her words carefully.

“Sappy?” Peggy offered.

Eliza made an indignant noise but didn’t try to argue, instead focusing on glaring viciously at the reckless driver that had almost hit her car.

“I was going to say adorable, but that fits too,” Angelica shrugged. “Are we there yet?”

“Just around the corner,” Eliza told her and, sure enough, Lafayette’s house appeared, large and white and almost majestic. None of them really understood Lafayette’s lineage beyond the fact that they had a paragraph’s worth of names and was somehow connected to French royalty, nobles or some other important title. Lafayette, though they’d deny it, would get uncomfortable after too much talk about their family and their friends soon learnt to avoid the topic at all costs.

The three siblings walked up the pathway, still bickering amongst themselves (Peggy had already decided that xe was going to break the ‘for-the-rest-of-the-night' rule just minutes after their promise). It was comforting, in a way; the playful arguments and traded insults were familiar and it brought Angelica back to her childhood. The words washed over her and she smiled, relishing in the warmth of the sun.

“You made it!” the Frenchperson exclaimed the moment they opened the door. Their hair had been pulled up in their trademark bun and, surprisingly, they appeared to less dressed up than the three siblings.

“We wouldn't miss it for the world,” Angelica said smoothly, complete with a charming grin that didn't fool Lafayette at all, if their disdainful huff told her anything.

“You've skipped my get-togethers more times than I can count,” Lafayette argued, rolling their eyes at her sheepish grin. “Whatever.”

“You're not very dressed up,” Peggy commented as they entered the house. Lafayette's place was huge, with hallways that looked as though they belonged more in some sort of palace than in the average home. No matter how many times she visited, she'd never get over the extravagance of the place.

“I actually meant it when I said it was a small get-together,” Lafayette told them. Peggy snorted.

“Shocker.”

There was one person who had been suspiciously quiet throughout the interaction, who hadn't contributed at all to the conversation.

“Are you okay, ma chère?” Lafayette asked gently, resting a warm hand on Eliza's arm.

“You seem quiet,” Peggy added.

Eliza visibly swallowed as she fiddled with the hem of her skirt nervously. A strand of hair fell from her bun and she tucked it behind her ear, not meeting any of their gazes.

“Fine,” she dismissed. “Is… Is Adrienne here?”

Lafayette grinned, the concern on their face being replaced with something more playful.

“Ah, are you nervous?” they teased as they lead the three siblings through the house. “She's here but I do not recommend panicking. You'll be fine.”

Peggy nudged Eliza with a dangerous grin.

“Mind if I tell her what you said about her smile?” xe asked in a deceptively innocent voice. Angelica whacked the back of xyr head lightly.

“Don't tease,” she chided.

Finally, they came to a stop in the living room. It was gorgeous, with a minimalist design that was just enough to be fashionable whilst hiding the fact that Lafayette spent more time at Herc’s place than their own. There were already a few people that had arrived before them; a pretty girl in a headscarf that looked like Lafayette, Herc was sprawled across a couch inelegantly, Adrienne was sitting crosslegged in the corner (Angelica felt Eliza tense up next to her), Thomas was conversing with Marcela with a silent James observing them and-

“Maria?” Angelica said, surprised.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this has been the longest week ever, what with my parents finding out that I self-harm, getting diagnosed, first counselling sessions + exams but I made it, barely
> 
> i havent updated in ages holy shit but at least in the next chapter we're gonna have more marcela soooo
> 
> thanks to punkteddy on tumblr for helping me with translations and stuff as well as indulging all my ant headcanons
> 
> tumblr is lafayettes-baguette


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> oh look i'm alive

“Hey,” Maria smiled, looking far more in her comfort zone that Angelica would have ever expected. Her legs were crossed on the couch as she held a strand of hair in her hands, braiding it and undoing it and braiding it again. “I didn't know you were coming.”

“Yeah,” Angelica said lamely before cursing herself for sounding so stupid. What was wrong with her? “Um, who invited you? I didn't know you knew anyone here.”

Maria's face lit up suddenly, looking delighted as Angelica perched herself on the couch next to her. “Marcela’s an old friend of mine. We met when I went on a trip to France,” she explained, looking far too happy when talking about the girl. Angelica quashed the jealousy that was beginning to bubble in her stomach; Maria wasn’t hers to be jealous over. “We still keep in touch.”

“That sounds great,” Angelica said with as genuine a smile she could manage, slipping off her leather jacket. “That’s her, right?” She nodded her head towards the headscarf-clad girl that was facing away from her, still engrossed in a conversation with Thomas. Her white headscarf was tied in a beautifully intricate way, with a single black flower pinned on one side of her head.

Maria didn’t answer and instead called the girl. “Hey, Marcela!”

Marcela turned around, with a bright smile. She looked rather like Lafayette, but with a softer jaw-line and make-up emphasizing her cheekbones. Her lips were thicker and her cheeks chubbier but otherwise, she was an almost spitting image of her sibling. She appeared just as friendly too, as she patted Thomas’ arm in apology and left his side immediately to settle on the couch next to the two girls, directing her grin at Angelica.

“Hi! You must be Angelica!” she gushed. Her enthusiasm was infectious; Angelica found her cheeks stretching more than they normally would as she grinned back at Marcela.

“I am,” she agreed, returning the hug Marcela offered with stretched arms. “Your hijab looks beautiful, by the way.”

“Thank you,” Marcela said brightly, delicately twirling a piece of the material with a manicured hand. Her smile faltered for a second and she glanced at Maria, who gave her a subtle but supportive nod. “It’s difficult since I’ve only been wearing it a while, only after I transitioned, but I’m still getting the hang of it.”

Ah, that explained why Marcela had suddenly looked unsure of herself. Angelica’s smile never left her lips. “It looks perfect,” she said simply, and the look of relief that washed over Marcela’s features was just as perfect. 

“So I heard you and Maria are really close,” Marcela said with a grin that was pushing past ‘friendly’ and into ‘coquettish’. Angelica couldn’t help wondering how much the girl knew, how much  _ Maria _ knew and had told her. She felt her cheeks began to heaten up but she resolutely continued to smile, managing a small laugh as she glanced at the girl in question, who had been quietly watching Angelica and Marcela with a soft smile.

“I like to think we are,” Angelica said brightly, draping her arm behind Maria’s slender shoulders. Maria smiled, unsubtly leaning closer towards her and showing no objection to the placement of her arm. Maybe they were closer than Angelica thought, if Maria was letting her get away with this.

“She talks a lot about you,” Marcela added and that grin was  _ definitely  _ wicked. Angelica opened her mouth to respond but Lafayette was stood in the middle of the room, clapping their hands for attention. She had never been thankful for their timing.

“Okay, everyone, shut up,” Lafayette said cheerfully, resting their hands on their hips as their eyes lit up bright with excitement. “Okay, we’re all here for one reason-” here, they gestured at Marcela to join them at the centre of the little crowd. “So I’d like to introduce Marcela!”

Marcela flailed an awkward hand followed by a small laugh. “Um, hi? I’m Marcela.” The others continued to stare at her as though expecting more and she began to shift under their gazes before adding to the little speech. “I’ve just come France and my English isn’t completely perfect so feel free to correct me. I’m trans and if you’ve got a problem with that, then, um, we can avoid each other.” Another silence. “Yeah.”

Maria burst into enthusiastic applause and, when Angelica glanced at her, her eyes were crinkled in delight as she grinned. She looked so  _ happy  _ and, for a moment, Angelica couldn’t help but feel a sudden rush of envy that it wasn’t  _ her  _ that was making her smile like that. Why did she keep getting jealous? Angelica had thought she was more in control of her feelings than this but Maria was fucking everything up until all the self-control Angelica had was thrown out of the window, as well as any subtlety and, surprisingly often, her ability with words.

Had Maria dated Marcela? They did, indeed, seem close and it was very possible that they might have had some sort of relationship before. Maybe even now. Maria wasn’t obligated to tell Angelica if she was dating a beautiful girl with winged eyeliner that could slay a dragon.

“You okay?” Maria asked and her eyebrows knitted in concern. There was a soft warmth on her thigh and Angelica glanced down to see Maria’s hand resting there. She had been zoning out more often around Maria too.

“Fine, sorry,” Angelica dismissed lightly. “How long have you and Marcela known each other?”

“Four years,” Maria boasted, a pleased little smile dancing on her lips. “We haven’t been face-to-face throughout most of the time but we’ve always kept in touch. And now she’s here  _ permanently.” _

“Nice,” Angelica said approvingly, glancing again at the girl. She had Lafayette holding a mirror up for her as she rearranged her headscarf.

“Who wants popcorn?” Herc said loudly as he and Peggy returned to the living room. He patted Lafayette’s ass as he walked past them, making them fumble with the mirror. Marcela slapped their arm lightly in frustration. Thomas, who had been surprisingly quiet all day, raised a hand and muttered an ‘aye’ as James nodded in agreement next to him. Eliza and Adrienne were too busy making out in the corner to respond (Angelica quickly averted her eyes - seeing her baby sister grow up would always be uncomfortable).

None of them noticed Maria tense suddenly and begin to fidget.

Angelica shuffled further up the sinfully comfortable couch until their thighs were pressed against each other. She leaned in to whisper in Maria’s ear: “If you’re uncomfortable, we can leave."

But Maria only tensed her jaw and shook her head. When Maria looked at her questioningly, she sighed and replied, “I don’t want to ruin the fun.”

“Taking care of your health isn’t the same as ‘ruining the fun’,” Angelica argued but Maria had already turned away, body purposefully facing away from her as she struck up a conversation with James, who looked surprised but pleased.

Angelica didn’t push. If Maria wanted to stay, then she could stay. If she wanted to take the bull by the horns and face her triggers head on, then she could. Maybe it’d do her good. But, as James introduced Thomas to her, Angelica couldn’t rip her gaze away from the way Maria’s hands quivered as she clenched the material of her skirt almost desperately.

“I’m guessing you know too,” a low voice said and Angelica finally looked away to see Marcela watching Maria too with a sad smile.

Angelica nodded, shifting to provide more space to Marcela as she settled back on the couch. “Um, a little. Does that mean you…?” Angelica hesitated, unwilling to spill Maria’s secret in case Marcela actually had no idea.

“I was there,” Marcela said instead, picking at lint on the sleeve of the cardigan. “When she was starting to develop it. It was terrifying.”

“She doesn’t deserve it,” Angelica said, voice taut with frustration as her hand balled into a fist. In the background, she could hear the popcorn being passed around, Lafayette laughing as they threw one into Eliza’s mouth and missed, Adrienne and Herc arguing over something Disney related, the low tones of James’ voice. “It's so unfair, she didn’t deserve  _ any  _ of this…”

“No one does,” Marcela pointed out. “But you’ll look after her, won’t you?”

That got Angelica’s attention. She looked up sharply, eyes raking Marcela’s face for some sort of clue. “Does that mean you’re not? You’re leaving or something?”

“No, no,” Marcela laughed lightly, slapping Angelica’s arm. “But you can’t have too many people supporting you, right?” When Angelica nodded, she smiled warmly. “Can I get your number?”

“Sure,” Angelica said quickly, pulling out her phone from her pocket. Marcela had barely finished punching in the numbers onto the screen when the shaking next to Angelica grew unbearable. Despite every cell in her body screaming at her to give Maria some independence, she tapped the other girl’s shoulder for her attention.

“You’re sure you don’t want to leave?” Angelica asked in a rush, brow knitted in concern. “You seem… a little upset.”

Maria smiled shakily and, oh god, there were tears gathering in her eyes, making them look glassy and distant, how did neither James nor Thomas notice? Maria barely had time to nod before Angelica was standing up and excusing herself, snatching her jacket off the couch quickly.

The two of them made their way down the winding halls of Lafayette’s house and Angelica hadn’t even acknowledge the fact that their fingers had intertwined so naturally until the front door had been opened and they were standing on the front porch, Maria gulping air as though she had just been seconds away from drowning. Which, perhaps, she had been.

After a few moments of silence, Angelica spoke.

“You alright, baby girl?”

Maria laughed. It was a small laugh and a weak one, but a laugh nonetheless and it was definitely an achievement.

“Remember the first time you called me that?” Maria said, smiling. Her eyes had dried and she seemed less shaky. “When I was at the park. I called you and you came. You held me, instead of demanding to know what happened, before you had any idea what was going on, you  _ held  _ me.”

Angelica’s mind flashed back to when Maria had tried to break up with James.  _ That  _ had failed spectacularly but it was a step in the right direction. A  _ massive  _ step. She didn’t say anything, instead letting Maria breathe the air in slowly as her head fell back, exposing the lines of her neck and Angelica had to tell certain parts of her brain to  _ shut up. _

A shiver wracked Maria's body and Angelica was standing at attention immediately, like a guard dog.

“Don't,” Maria began to say but it was too late; Angelica was already slipping off the leather jacket that rested on her shoulders. Maria was still shaking her head but she made no protest when Angelica dropped it onto her shoulders.

“You're ridiculous,” she told her, huffing when Angelica only laughed. “Seriously, you'll freeze to death.”

Indeed, the tanktop she was wearing would do nothing to ward the cold. But freezing to death was a small price to pay to see Maria tug the jacket tighter across her frame. It was slightly too big and it hung off her, making her look smaller and more delicate.

“You look adorable,” Angelica teased. Maria huffed again playfully, puffing out her cheeks in indignation.

Angelica didn't imagine the blush staining her cheeks.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i said i'm alive but i dunno if i really am
> 
> more marcela in the next few chapters hopefully, i want to make her a key figure but i also wanna develop on herc/laf/adrienne/eliza and i dunno if i can fit everything in without making kt overwhelming
> 
> did maria and marcela have a thing??? ;))) you don't know that yet
> 
> tumblr is lafayettes-baguette


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> you have no idea how many mistakes there were in this before [rainyquasars](http://www.rainyquasars.tumblr.com) swooped in to save my ass

Seeing Maria and Marcela interact was a strange experience.

The two of them were extremely close and it was evident in their conversations. Every time they met, a longer-than-necessary hug commenced, Marcela's hand often came to rest on Maria's thigh, they wouldn't hesitate before sitting in each other's laps. As someone who had only seen the more confident side of Maria around herself, Angelica was at loss.

“I thought you were happy that Maria was happy,” Adrienne frowned.

They were sitting in the coffee shop, the door clearly marked closed. Angelica had snapped after almost a week of Maria and Marcela’s flirting and had turned to Adrienne for help; partly for a unbiased opinion and partly because Adrienne was the closest person when Angelica had given up.

“I _am_ happy for her,” Angelica confirmed firmly. “It's great to see her so happy and she's smiling so much more. It's _wonderful._ I just wish…”

She trailed off, unsure how to finish the sentence. She wanted so many things, but what was wishing going to do for her?

“You wish?” Adrienne prompted. Angelica shrugged.

“I wish that maybe we could spend time together like we had before,” she admitted finally, gaze dropping to the swirly straw she was fiddling with. The white chocolate and raspberry milkshake was wonderful but she couldn't enjoy it when her mind was too preoccupied about potentially losing Maria.

The silence stretched on for a moment. Adrienne's gaze was thoughtful as she stared into Angelica's eyes. It was _slightly_ uncomfortable, Angelica was willing to admit, but she didn't dare look away when Adrienne looked like she was reading her soul and was about to conjure an answer any time soon.

“How long did you say this has been going on?”

“A week.”

Adrienne hummed. “It’s likely she's just excited to have her friend back. She'll adapt to it soon. I doubt this will last forever.”

Angelica nodded, suddenly feeling unbelievably weary. Another stretch of silence, almost comfortable. Angelica's favourite thing about Adrienne was how easy and laid back her presence was. There wasn't a need to fill the silence as there was with other people.

“Marcela's nice though.”

“She is, isn't she?” Adrienne said brightly, probably glad for the change of subject. “Did you know she can do a Rubix cube in minutes?”

“What the hell?” Angelica gaped. _“How_ the hell?”

Adrienne shrugged. “I have no idea. Hey, you want another drink or…?”

“Nah, I've got to get going,” Angelica excused, eyes flickering the watch adorning her wrist. “Peggy and I are going to see a movie. But thanks,” she added as the two of them stood up, tucking their chairs in. “You should be a therapist.”

“I think I'll stick with the art of coffee, thanks,” Adrienne said with a wry smile.

* * *

Throughout the movie, the only thing Angelica could think about was Maria. The entirety of the large-sized tub of sweet popcorn was demolished by Peggy.

“That movie was shit,” Peggy commented when the screen turned black. Xyr hand dived in the popcorn tub and, when it was empty, frowned disappointedly.

“You seemed pretty entranced,” Angelica said pointedly. When Peggy began to look affronted, she added, “We all know you're a slut for cheesy rom-coms, drop the act.”

“You come into my own home,” Peggy sniffed dramatically, clutching the empty tub to xyr chest. “We should have bought more popcorn.”

“How did you even finish that by yourself?” Angelica asked, staring at the tub disbelievingly. For someone with such a small frame, Peggy was suspiciously good at stuffing xemself with endless amounts of food.

“No gender means no limits to my stomach as well,” Peggy stated smugly as they stepped outside to the crisp, autumn air. The strong breeze that hit them immediately was like a slap to the face, and so was Peggy's next words.

“Are you jealous of Marcela?”

Angelica raised both eyebrows in surprise. Of all things she had expected Peggy to say, _that_ hadn’t been one of them.

“She’s a great person and I’m glad Maria’s got someone she can lean on. Why would I be jealous?”

“Uh huh,” Peggy said in a condescending tone, examining xyr fingers with the most disinterested expression a person could muster. “Didn’t answer my question.”

 _“No,”_ Angelica snapped. Peggy looked up, surprised, and Angelica rubbed a hand over her face before sighing and adding, “I’m not jealous. Can we go home now?”

Thankfully, Peggy made no more arguments and they hailed a cab with no further conversation. The ride was strangely silent and Angelica found herself glancing at Peggy repeatedly to make sure she hadn’t upset xem, but xe was too busy texting someone to even look up at her.

“That’ll be nine dollars and eighty-seven cents,” the cab driver drawled. Peggy grinned at Angelica, making no attempt to reach for xyr pockets.

“Oh sister dearest,” xe cooed and Angelica rolled her eyes with good nature before paying the cab driver.

The two of them walked home in silence, arms linked and hips bumping with every step. And whilst Angelica was infinitely grateful for Peggy dropping the subject, her mind was now too preoccupied with thoughts of Maria to discuss the movie with her sibling, as she normally would.

When Angelica dropped Peggy off at xyr doorstep, xe grabbed her hands and stared into her eyes with a terrifying intensity that Angelica was only vaguely aware xe was even capable of. “Don’t fuck this up. For your own sake and hers, don’t fuck this up.”

Angelica didn’t need to ask who ‘her’ was.

Instead, she nodded solemnly. Peggy grinned brightly before pressing a swift but sloppy kiss to her cheek. Just as xe was about to close the door, xe wrenched it open to add, “Oh, and there might be a little surprise when you go home.”

Xe slammed xyr door in her face.

“Last time I checked, _I_ was the older sibling,” Angelica muttered to herself before making her way to her own place. She plugged her earphones in and blasted Rihanna as loud as possible, but even the thumping beats of the music couldn’t chase away the thoughts that plagued her mind. She couldn’t stop thinking about what Peggy had said. She couldn’t stop thinking about _Maria._ It was crazy to think that just a month ago, she had no idea who the other girl was, and now she was ridiculously invested in her. It probably wasn’t healthy but Angelica couldn’t stop herself.

Unlocking her door with a sigh, she entered her house with her mind too preoccupied to even notice the girl that was lounging on her couch.

“Hey,” Marcela said cheerfully.

Angelica was startled out of her stupor, blinking repeatedly as she stared back at the girl, as though she was a mere apparition that might disappear by the power of her eyelids. ‘Speak of the devil and he shall appear’. Or in this case, think.

“Hi,” Angelica said, too surprised to muster any other words. At least this explained Peggy’s texting as well as xyr mysterious words. “Um.”

Marcela was sprawled with a certain elegance (characteristic to all Lafayettes, apparently) across the couch, with her scarf loose, displaying a few curls that had been short enough to escape her bun. Her face was free of makeup and she looked… _different_ when she wasn’t dressed to impress, as Angelica usually saw her.

“Eliza invited me in,” Marcela explained, answering the question that had still only half-formed in Angelica’s mind. “Wanna sit down?”

“Sure,” Angelica replied, as though this wasn’t her own house. Marcela moved up to make space for her.

“How was the movie, Ang?” Eliza’s voice called from the kitchen. “Did Peggy get home okay?”

“It was alright, one of those rom-coms that Peggy pretends xe’s not obsessed with. And I dropped xem off at the door, so unless xe managed to trip over a book, crack xyr head against the wall and bleed to death, xe should be okay.”

Here, Marcela snorted and the two of them exchanged identical amused glances. It was small, and probably counted as nothing with anyone else, but Angelica couldn’t help but feel as though they had bonded slightly, as though she had passed some sort of unknown test Marcela had set.

“That sounds like xem, to be honest,” Eliza sighed, entering the living room slowly with three mugs of what appeared to be steaming hot chocolate. “Sorry I took so long, I didn’t expect to have to make another mug.”

Marcela stood to help her, relieving her of two of the mugs and handing one to Angelica, who smiled in thanks.

“So what are we doing here?” Angelica asked, eyes flickering between Eliza and Marcela. She took a sip of the hot drink in her hands and the question was immediately forgotten in favour of a (probably more lewd than appropriate) moan that vocalised her appreciation more than words ever could. “Holy cow, ‘Liza, just move in with me and make me hot chocolate for the rest of my life.”

“Unless you’re going to pay me,” Eliza said, deadpan, though the glimmering spark in her eye ruined the effect, “Then no.”

“I would gladly pay you more than your current paycheck for this every day,” Marcela mumbled, taking another sip. Her eyes closer in appreciation. “I have ascended.”

“You guys are so dramatic,” Eliza laughed. “It’s orange hot chocolate. As I was saying, before I was _very_ rudely interrupted-”

“Wow, thanks, sis.”

“-Marcela had a few questions about your…” She paused, taking a sip of the hot chocolate to hide her hesitation (she wasn’t nearly as subtle as she thought). “Relationship. With Maria.”

Ah, the shovel talk. Angelica had dished out a fair few but she had never been on the receiving end of one. _This_ should be interesting.

“Shoot,” she said, grinning at Marcela, who only cocked her eyebrow in confusion.

“Shoot what?” Marcela asked, eyebrows furrowed. “Why are we shooting?”

“It’s a saying,” Eliza rushed to explain. “It just means go ahead.”

“Hit me with all the questions you got,” Angelica translated, leaning back into the couch.

Marcela didn’t look completely appeased. It was rather cute. “You Americans are so violent,” she mumbled. She shifted in the couch so that she was facing Angelica, and Angelica had never shied away from eye contact before but this might prove to be the first time. “So. Maria.”

“Maria,” Angelica agreed. “Nice girl.”

“Very. Any… _romantic_ feelings for her?”

Angelica shook her head automatically, making both Marcela and Eliza groan. She had to bite back a laugh at their simultaneity. Honestly, she had no idea why she kept denying liking Maria. She wasn’t stupid - far from it - and she was in touch with her feelings enough that she knew her feelings for Maria weren’t strictly platonic. But knowing that and admitting that in front of witnesses was two very different things.

“I'm going to go ahead and point out that I know that you know better than to pretend you're just friends,” Marcela said, lips quirked into an amused smile. Angelica conceded with a nod and a shrug.

“She's nice,” she explained. “And funny and pretty and we have great conversations. What did anyone expect?”

Eliza attempted to hide her mirthful grin behind her mug, and wholly failed.

“And you're aware that she has a fiance, right?” Marcela asked, words laced with caution appropriate for one who was treading a literal minefield.

“Whoa whoa whoa,” Angelica said suddenly, sitting up so quickly that her hot chocolate sloshed dangerously close to spilling on her. “Just because I have feelings for her, that doesn't mean I'm going to _act_ on them. All I'm trying to do is help her out with James, and that'll all be for moot if I try and pressure her into another relationship.”

Marcela blinked blankly. “Moot.”

“Pointless,” she explained sheepishly. It was so easy to forget that Marcela wasn't accustomed to English sayings.

“I'm just gonna go,” Eliza said awkwardly, taking her mug and quickly leaving the room.

Marcela hummed and there was a short stretch of silence, in which Marcela's gaze was firmly fixed on the walls as she thought. Angelica was staring at the floor and marvelling at the amount of information she had just shared with a technical stranger; why did she feel confident sharing that with someone whom she'd never had a conversation with more depth than a baby pool?

“Don't assume anything,” Marcela said finally. “She's not broken. If she wants a relationship, she wants a relationship, and she shouldn't be denied that just because of what she's going through at the moment. Have you considered that it might _help?”_

Angelica let out a breath she didn't even know she was holding. “No,” she admitted. “But I'm…scared.”

Marcela leaned towards her, looking curious. “Why?”

Angelica took a deep breath, knowing she was going to spill information that she hadn't even told her siblings. Somehow, she was okay with that, and that surprised her more than anything.

“There was this girl,” she said slowly. Her eyes wondered around the room, too nervous to meet the Frenchwoman's gaze. “Well, I met her through an abuse survivor's group that I was helping out at.” The memories of Martha Manning, with her sweet smile and curly hair and that lovely singing voice she was always too afraid to broadcast to the rest of the world. “We got together and… we had a great time, y’know? She was funny, we read the same books, we used to walk through the park and laugh at each other every time we got scared of the geese… It turned out she only dated me because she thought I wanted compensation for everything I helped her with. I…”

She could barely speak around the lump forming in her throat and she knew she was probably going to end up crying, but goddammit, she was going to finish this story first. Marcela shifted closed to rest an arm around her shoulders.

“I… I basically _raped_ her! She wasn't interested at any point of our relationship but I had no idea because she kept saying 'yes’ and she w-wasn’t interested and I, I…”

The arm around her tightened as Angelica tried to furiously blink away the tears that threatened to fall. Her voice had gone croaky and she didn't think she could finish the story, not when Martha's smile was still fresh in her mind.

“You didn't know,” Marcela said firmly. “You said it yourself; you had no idea and you shouldn't beat yourself up over it.”

“What if she's only interested in me because I helped her about James?” Angelica said desperately and _that,_ she realised, was the true reason why she was so worried about Maria returning her feelings. “What if I coerce _her_ into a relationship too? God, I feel like those  _predators_ that go around targeting the most vulnerable-”

“First, that's over-dramatic,” Marcela said sternly and Angelica nodded, wiping away the few tears that had slipped. “And second,” here, she pulled Angelica towards her, hugging her tightly. “Let Maria make her own decision. She's smart. She knows you don't want payment.”

Angelica nodded again, vaguely aware that Marcela's t-shirt was probably soaked with her tears.

“You should tell her you like her,” Marcela said, though it was clearly phrased as a suggestion. “She’s definitely into you. Can you do that?”

“I'm Angelica fucking Schuyler, I can do anything,” Angelica joked, finally pulling away from her embrace. Marcela beamed brightly, looking almost exactly like Lafayette.

 _“That's_ the girl Maria's been rambling about for hours at a time,” she said proudly.

Angelica's mind screeched to a halt and she tried to appear as casual as possible when she asked, “She talked about me?”

Marcela grinned mischievously. “Only every day. I practically knew you before we even met. Got a mirror I can do my hijab in?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> notice how it's always the girls who are interacting. mainly because i'm sick of society encouraging women to compete with each other so i wanted to show them supporting one another, even when they're scared one of them is going to steal their crush ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯
> 
> also, this chapter is longer to make up for the amount of time i've spent not writing. and also because i was procrastinating revising for my exam. but. you get my point
> 
> tumblr is still [lafayettes-baguette](http://www.lafayettes-baguette.tumblr.com)


	14. Chapter 14

“We should have a night out like this again,” Adrienne said. “Or maybe a no-guys-allowed night, like the ones everyone had back in school.”

There were murmurs of agreement around the room, barely audible over the sounds of explosions coming from the TV screen. Most of them were too engrossed in the movie - Angelica hadn’t been paying much attention but it seemed like yet another action blockbuster - to answer properly, but Peggy ripped xyr gaze away from the screen to grin brightly.

“Sounds great,” xe agreed. “And you can  _ finally  _ teach me how to do those French braids, even though I've been asking for at least ten years.”

“A little dramatic?” Adrienne murmured into Eliza's thigh but didn't argue.

“No, that's fine, continue to exclude the rest of us,” John said in a playfully offended tone without looking away from the screen. Everyone knew it would take more than a conversation to distract John from his action movies, particularly when they were in a fight scene.

They were all piled in Lafayette's living room after they had sent a text to all of them, complaining about feeling lonely. They hadn't anticipated so many of them to be free and thus, Adrienne, Eliza, Angelica, Peggy, John, and Alex had shown up.

“Merde,” had been the only thing Lafayette could say when they saw all of them sprawled across the couch and floor.

Now, Adrienne was lying horizontally on the floor in front of the couch, head resting on Eliza's thigh and feet in Lafayette's lap. Angelica, John and Peggy were on the couch, with Peggy curled up against Angelica's side. Alex had fallen asleep - probably the first time this week - at the kitchen table before Lafayette had even appeared. None of them had the heart to wake him.

“Would that ‘no-guys-allowed’ night include me?” Lafayette asked in a tone that was too forced to sound as casual as they were probably hoping. Angelica frowned; even though it had been so long since Lafayette had come out as genderqueer, it was painfully obvious that they still felt insecure.

“If you want to come, you can,” Angelica said firmly. “And if you don't want to come, you don't have to.”

Lafayette smiled, evidently relieved.

“You better teach me how to French braid too, Adrienne, I need to switch up my hairstyles before it gets too boring,” Eliza said, running a hand through her locks.

“‘Liza, babe, you can  _ never  _ be boring when you look that good.”

A chorus of 'aw’s sounded across the room and Eliza's cheeks darkened, though whether it was from that, or the kiss Adrienne had pressed to her thigh, was unclear. Whichever it was, she blushed even more when Lafayette winked.

“God, why is everyone I know in a relationship or crushing?” Peggy groaned, running a hand over xyr face.

“I'm not,” Angelica pointed out. Now was the perfect opportunity to find out how obvious she was with her crush on Maria and how many people knew…

Silence. John even paused the movie to stare incredulously at her. The atmosphere had gone from amicable to almost eerie, as five sets of eyes met hers to convey how little they believed her.

“You don't have a crush, did you just say?” John asked slowly.

_ “You _ don't have a crush?” Adrienne repeated in a disbelieving voice that highlighted the softness of her accent around certain vowels.

Angelica shifted uneasily on the couch, cursing herself for bringing up the topic. It looked like  _ all _ of them knew and, more than that, none of them seemed ready to believe any excuses she could come up with. God, she should have just kept her mouth shut. Was this how Alex felt all the time?

“I’m going to pretend I’m not uncomfortable with everyone suddenly staring at me,” Angelica joked in the hopes to lighten the atmosphere. It didn’t work.

“Sis, you know I love you, but you’re being  _ really fucking stupid  _ right now,” Peggy said flatly. “Everyone knows you have a crush. Hell,  _ Alex  _ knows and he’s not exactly known for being observant  _ or  _ attentive.”

Eliza shot her a sympathetic glance.

“And you should really do something about it,” Lafayette advised.

“She’s already with someone,” Angelica replied immediately, voice too sharp and too cold. “She’s got a fiancé, she’s in a relationship and I’d appreciate it if you guys stopped  _ pressuring  _ me into something I don’t want.”

This silence was even more agonizing than the last. Angelica carefully avoided all their eyes but she could almost hear the questions ringing in their heads synonymously - who was the fiancé? Why hadn’t Maria mentioned him? Only Eliza and Peggy knew about Reynolds, and only Eliza knew the reason why Angelica was so scared to pursue a relationship with Maria even if they broke up. She didn’t want to have to explain the situation to all of them. John couldn’t keep  _ anything  _ from Alex, bless their hearts, and would probably end up fighting Reynolds and it just felt  _ weird  _ to tell Adrienne something so personal, considering they had known each other for such a short amount of time.

She sighed. “Can we just watch the movie?”

John pressed play again and the conversation ceased. Angelica stared blankly at the screen, barely registering the scene. Was she  _ that  _ obvious? She hadn’t known so many people were aware of her crush on Maria and, if  _ they  _ knew, then did that mean Maria did too? If even  _ Alex  _ knew…

God. It was getting harder and harder to push away thoughts of Maria. She hadn’t noticed before, but the amount of time she spent thinking about the girl was steadily increasing. This wasn’t just a crush anymore. Not when Angelica was so invested in her wellbeing, not when she cared so much about her happiness. She didn’t want to acknowledge it, god, what wouldn’t she do to pretend she wasn’t feeling anything? But acceptance was the first step to getting over it and-

Someone thudded angrily on the door. All six of them jumped, and even Alex startled awake so quickly he ended up slipping off the chair and crashing to the floor. When the knocking returned, it sounded even more aggravated, and everyone turned to Lafayette expectantly.

“Should I take a bat with me, just in case?” they wondered aloud, making their way to the door cautiously. Everyone watched them move, tense with anticipation.

“What the fuck?” Alex mumbled blearily from the floor.

“Open the fucking door or I swear I will kick it down, Laf,” a familiarly Southern voice shouted and everyone sagged in relief. It was only Thomas. Though ‘only’ wasn’t the best word to use - the man could be a force of nature when upset.

“What’s up with him?” John asked, raising an eyebrow. He and Thomas weren’t particularly fond of each other and, although he didn’t fight with him as much as Alex did, it was no secret that they weren’t the best of friends.

“I think James is cheating on me,”  they heard Thomas blurt at the doorway.

Eliza choked on a popcorn. Adrienne sat up, startled, and began to thump her back until Eliza was wheezing heavily.

“What the fuck?” Angelica asked to no one in particular. There was no way. James  _ loved  _ Thomas. He was  _ obsessed  _ with him. Angelica had seen him gush about the other man too many times to doubt his love for the fellow Virginian. What the hell had happened?

Laf returned to the living room, with a distressed Thomas in tow. His eyes darted nervously from person to person, before finally settling on staring at the ground.

“I’m guessing we weren’t supposed to hear that,” Peggy said sympathetically, shuffling further down the couch and away from Angelica before patting the space between them. Thomas sat down heavily and it was only then that Angelica noticed the tears that were threatening to spill from his eyes.

“Nothing we say leaves this room,” he said in what would have been a threatening tone, if his voice wasn’t so wobbly. Everyone glanced at Alex, who had managed to fall asleep again, sprawled awkwardly across the kitchen floor.

“We’ll keep our mouths shut,” Angelica promised, carefully wrapping an arm around Thomas’ shoulder and tugging him closer to her side. She glanced sharply at the remaining inhabitants of the room. “Right?”

A chorus of ‘yes’s echoed across the room, and only then did he begin to talk.

“He just seems so distant lately,” Thomas began, sighing so heavily that he sunk further into Angelica’s hold. She began to stroke his hair slowly. “He comes home late, doesn’t tell me where he’s been, and he always seems distracted whenever we… ya know.”

“Please don’t go into the details.”

“Don’t worry, I won’t. And there’s a number in his contacts that keeps calling him, and every time they call, he ditches whatever we’re doing, and the contact number is ‘Queen’ with, like, a billion kissy faces after it! He  _ never _ uses kissy faces! Not even for me, and I’m his  fiancé!”

“Maybe the contact wrote it in herself and James just never got rid of it?” Adrienne offered, but the grimace on her face showed exactly how likely she thought her own theory was.

“It takes three seconds to change a fucking contact name,” Thomas snapped, making Adrienne raise her eyebrows in surprise. Lafayette coughed warningly and, next to them, Eliza shot Thomas a cold look. He sighed again. “Sorry.”

“It’s fine,” Adrienne dismissed, patting his knee awkwardly. “Carry on.”

“Right. So he came home late again last night and when I asked him where he was, he said he went to the cinema, the one we went to on our first date, with an old friend. But it’s closed! I  _ know  _ it’s closed because I tried to go there last week and it was closed! So why did he lie?”

Even John looked sympathetic at this point. Thomas rubbed a hand over his face, smearing the few tears that had slipped down his cheeks as he spoke. He took a shuddering breath before continuing. “And then I found a purse under the bed that doesn’t belong to either of us, and it’s  _ clearly  _ a woman’s. But James denied being out with any friends recently, female or otherwise.”

Everyone shifted uncomfortably once he finished. Although there were any number of theories that could explain Thomas’ points, it  _ did  _ sound as though James was seeing someone else, when the evidence was compiled into a list. No one knew what to say and, for a while, the only sounds they could hear were Alex’s snoring and the occasional sniffle from Thomas.

“Well, there’s only one way to find out,” Angelica said, making Thomas groan and bury his face into her t-shirt.

“Please don’t tell me to talk to him,” he begged.

“Communication is the key to a healthy relationship,” Eliza reminded him softly. “If you don’t ask, you’ll be thinking about it forever and it’ll eat away at you, until your relationship falls apart. He might have a perfectly reasonable explanation.”

“Maybe he likes feminine stuff and that’s why he has the purse?” Peggy provided. “And he keeps going off to shop for stuff that he’s too embarrassed to admit to you?”

“Maybe he’s planning a romantic surprise for you?”

“Maybe he secretly travelled from the past, changing his form to hide the fact that he’s a five foot three dead president, and now he’s trying to steal the Declaration of Independence that his boyfriend wrote.”

Thomas snorted. “What the fuck, Laf?”

“As realistic as Lafayette’s speculation is,” Angelica said dryly, smirking when the Frenchperson pouted dramatically, “What we’re saying is, there could be a reason  _ other  _ than cheating, and asking him in person is better than moping over an unproven theory. Okay?”

“What does the purse look like? We might recognise it,” John offered. When everyone turned to give him a dubious look, he shrugged defensively. “Am I not allowed to help someone?”

“Not when you hate them,” Peggy mumbled, earning a light slap to the calf for xyr troubles.

Thomas’ lips quirked and, although that charming characteristically-Jefferson smile hadn’t returned, it was a vast improvement. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small, pastel pink purse, throwing it to Eliza, who swiftly caught it.

“It looks familiar,” Eliza frowned, running a hand over the material.

It  _ did  _ look familiar. And Angelica knew why. 

It was the same purse Maria had been holding the first day they met in the rain.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> im back for the first time in three weeks and i promise this is gonna get fluffier
> 
> [lafayettes-baguette](http://www.lafayettes-baguette.tumblr.com) is my tumblr 
> 
> beta'd by [rainyquasars](http://www.rainyquasars.tumblr.com)


	15. Chapter 15

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this is gay as hell
> 
> as usual, huge thanks to my beta fillertexted (previously known as rainyquasars) who is an absolute star and a lifesaver

“I swear I've seen that purse somewhere,” Peggy frowned. Xyr brow was furrowed in thought and xe stretched out a hand to take the purse. Thomas looked relieved when he quickly handed over the offending item,  looking eager to no longer be holding it.

"We saw it that one time we went shopping together,” Angelica blurted. It was a deliberately vague and probably unrealistic excuse, but no one seemed to question her, too absorbed as they were in Thomas' dilemma. 

Why was she even lying? After all, Thomas had been her friend far longer than Maria had. This inexplicable need to defend Maria, to hear her side of the story before she threw the poor girl under the bus… Was that something she’d do for any of her friends? 

“We'll figure this out, mon ami,” Lafayette was saying, squeezing his hand. Angelica's mind was too preoccupied to contribute to the conversation. 

By the time Angelica had left the house, she had resolved to speak to Maria and find out what was happening. It could have been a simple misunderstanding. There was, technically, no concrete proof that the two of them were doing anything unsavoury together. All she needed to do was ask Maria, and she could get this entire mess sorted out. 

Hopefully.  
  


 

**From Peggy**

_ oi are you alright? _

  
  


**From Eliza**

_ Tactful, Pegs _

_ What we’re trying to say is _

_ You seemed a little off when we were at Laf’s  _

  
  


Angelica smiled fondly. She should have known that her siblings would notice any changes in her demeanor. In a way, it was annoying that she couldn’t hide any secrets from them, but it was also nice to know they always had her back. They had been through thick and thin together, and Angelica loved them more than anything in the world. 

  
  


**From Angelica**

_ i’m okay, just got a lot to think about _

  
  


**From Peggy**

_ that’s bullshit and you know it _

  
  


**From Eliza**

_ We won’t push but we’re here if you wanna talk, okay? _

  
  


**From Peggy**

_ i vote that we carry on pushing, but fine _

 

Angelica rolled her eyes but the action was softened by her affection for her siblings, before leaving the chat. As much as she’d like to spill to them every plaguing thought that was rattling in her head, she couldn’t help but feel like this was something she had to work out alone first. Her insistence on working alone often got her into trouble - it was one of her biggest flaws - but she didn’t see how bringing anyone else into this would make the situation any better. 

She sent a text to Maria, asking her to meet up at the bench she and Maria had occupied a while ago. Maria replied seconds later, agreeing. 

Finally, she could figure out what was going on. 

* * *

It was cold out, and although Angelica was clad in the fluffiest sweater she owned, she still found herself shivering. She wrapped her arms around herself as she waited for Maria to appear. The memories that she had of this bench weren’t exactly pleasant - after all, the last time she had sat on it, Maria had been sobbing an ocean’s worth of tears - and she found her mind drifting to the girl’s relationship with Reynolds.

Did Maria know Reynolds was abusive? It was impossible to tell. She could very easily excuse away his fits of anger and manhandling as ‘mistakes’, especially since he seemed to occasionally treat her - the trip to Greece being one example. Angelica still couldn’t believe Reynolds had pulled that trick; perhaps the man had some brains after all. And somehow, that made it a billion times worse. 

Her thoughts were interrupted by a light tap to her shoulder.

Angelica startled, snapping out of her reverie to see Maria smiling at her. She looked… soft. Perhaps it was the pastel outfit of pinks and purples, or gentle smile on her face, or maybe just because the leather jacket that was hanging off her shoulders made her look smaller and more delicate. 

“That’s my jacket,” Angelica blurted, because apparently she doesn’t know how to interact with cute girls who wear her jackets and look adorable in them.   
Maria smiled sheepishly, already beginning to take it off. For some reason, Angelica couldn’t look away from those delicate hands clutching the leather material. “Yeah, I thought I’d give it back now before I forget and accidentally keep it forever.” 

“It, uh,” Angelica swallowed. God, why was speaking so difficult? “It suits you. You should wear it.”

She had no idea why she had said that. Maria’s entire outfit was made of soft, bright colours; why on Earth would she want to wear Angelica’s ratty leather jacket and ruin the very particular theme she had going on? But Maria’s smile only grew brighter, eyes widening in pleasant surprise. She slipped the jacket back on. Maybe it wasn’t such a bad idea.

“Thanks,” Maria said, her shy smile reminding Angelica of the first day they met in the rain. “Where do you wanna go?”

It wasn’t until that moment that Angelica remembered the main reason she had asked to meet up. As Maria made herself comfortable on the bench next to her, Angelica bit her lip and struggled to find the words to ask what would probably be an  _ extremely  _ rude question, if her suspicions were incorrect.

“Angie, are you okay?”

Fuck, she called her ‘Angie’. How the hell was Angelica supposed to handle this girl?

“Fine,” Angelica answered with a weak smile. “Um, I was wondering, do you know if James is… cheating?” 

Maria froze, her entire body going stiff and her gaze slipping away from Angelica’s. Her breath was quickening and  _ shit,  _ did that mean she  _ knew  _ James had cheated on Thomas, or that James was cheating on Thomas  _ with  _ her?

“Shit, Maria, say something,  _ please,”  _ Angelica said quietly, but Maria’s breathing wasn’t normal. She was shaking, the movement betrayed by the way the ends of her hair quivered, and the way the collar of Angelica’s jacket swayed slightly. She was blinking rapidly. It took far too long for Angelica to realise that Maria was having a panic attack.

“Fuck,” she mumbled, panicking for a second. How do you help someone through a panic attack? She tried to remember what she had done for Martha, but it was impossible to tell whether she had been helping or hindering at the time. “Hey, Maria, can you take a second to breath?”

Maria laughed, a bitter thing that didn’t suit her beautiful face. She finally looked up at Angelica with tears welling in her eyes. “N-No, it’s fine, sorry, I didn’t… I should h-have known he was cheating on me…”

Wait, what?

Comprehension hit Angelica like a ton of bricks falling from the top of Empire State building. Maria thought she was talking about James Reynolds, not James Madison. She thought Reynolds was cheating on her. Angelica’s stomach dropped. Why hadn’t she thought of that before? But of course, she had to go and wrongly word her sentences and throw Maria head-first into a panic attack. All because she was too much of an idiot to think properly when Maria was wearing that damn leather jacket.

“No, no, that’s not it,” she rushed to correct her. Maria looked startled - clearly, that hadn’t been the reaction she’d been expecting. “Not your guy, James, fuck. I meant James Madison, I wanted to know if he’d been cheating on Thomas.”

“You mean Jemmy?” 

Angelica paused. “You call him Jemmy?” 

Maria nodded, smiling as she wiped away her tears. She still seemed slightly shaky, but she didn’t seem as upset as before. “Yeah, his friend, Dolley, calls him that. I thought it was cuter than James, and, like, different from, uh…”

“I get it,” Angelica said when Maria trailed off. It made sense that Maria would want to differentiate James from Reynolds. “Uh, you’re okay?” 

“Yeah,” Maria breathed. Her hands found the lapels of the leather jacket and tugged it tighter around her frame. “What did you want to ask me?” 

Angelica didn’t know whether she could ask her now, not when she had hurt her so badly. She worried her bottom lip, torn between her loyalty to Thomas and her unwillingness to push Maria. The silence stretched on for longer than was strictly acceptable, but Maria made no comment as she sat down, patiently waiting for Angelica to find the appropriate words.

“We think… that James, well,  _ Jemmy,  _ might be cheating on Thomas,” Angelica said slowly, watching Maria’s reaction. 

Either Maria was a good actor or she was nothing more than friends with James, because the moment the words left Angelica’s lips, she looked distraught. Maria had been terrible at denying Reynolds’ abuse on the first day they had met, and unless she had taken acting lessons since then, she was in the clear. Angelica had never felt more relieved; the last thing she wanted was Maria tangled up in more drama when she clearly had enough going on in her life. 

“That’s  _ terrible,”  _ Maria whispered. She seemed more devastated than the situation called for, particularly since she had only been talking to James for a week, at most. “But he… He loves him so much! Why would he do that? He’s been…” She trailed off, glancing around conspiratorially before saying, “He’s been planning on proposing. I’ve even been helping him find the perfect ring. Why on earth would he cheat  _ now?”  _

Angelica blinked. “Wait, James is proposing?” 

Maria nodded, looking even more upset. “Dolley and I have been taking him to jewellery stores. He’s even planned his proposal speech.” 

Suddenly, everything made sense. Of  _ course  _ James wouldn’t cheat on Thomas. God, she felt guilty for even thinking he would, and even worse for assuming that Maria would be involved, just because he happened to have her purse. She closed her eyes, shame washing over her like a heavy tide, drowning out every other emotion. When had she begun to think so lowly of her friends? 

“I’m a terrible person,” she muttered under her breath. When Maria looked at her questioningly, she shook her head. “Never mind. Where do you wanna go?” 

“I thought you had somewhere in mind,” Maria said, sounding apologetic, as though Angelica was going to blame her for not having a destination. 

“That’s probably something I should have thought about before I texted you,” Angelica admitted, choosing her words carefully to show that she wasn’t blaming Maria. The girl already had devastatingly low self-esteem, and the least Angelica could do was make sure she didn’t need to be self-conscious around her. “Um, we could feed the ducks? They’re not too far from here.”

She had blurted the first thing she could think of, and she was already bracing herself for rejection. It was a little known fact that Angelica  _ loved  _ feeding the ducks at the park, and she would often drag as many people as she could with her. Unfortunately, most people couldn’t stand the smell or the loud quacking, and she expected Maria to be the same.

What she  _ didn’t  _ expect was the way Maria’s face lit up at the mention of ducks. 

“Ooh, that sounds fun!” she said, eyes shining in excitement. “We could stop by at the shop at the entrance of the park, go in through the car park and then work our way down the lake.”

“Yeah?” Angelica said, grinning. It was refreshing to hear someone as enthusiastic as she was about feeding  _ ducks,  _ of all things. “Sounds good. But we can’t feed them bread, so we should grab something else.”

Maria cocked her head, looking like an inquisitive puppy. It was far more endearing than it should have been. “We can’t?”

“Yeah, giving them bread can give them angel wing, and makes more algae grow,” Angelica told her, watching comprehension dawn on Maria’s face. “We can give them lettuce though.” 

“I didn’t know that…” 

Angelica grinned, patting Maria’s knee when the girl began to seem lost in her own thoughts. “Well, you learn something new every day.” 

They stood up, and Maria tugged the leather jacket tighter around herself, but the material remained grasped in her hand, as though she was reluctant to let go. 

“That jacket really does look good on you,” Angelica said. “You should keep it.” 

Maria looked startled, looking down at where her hands were still clutching the collar as though surprised to see she was still clutching it. “Oh no, I couldn’t, it’s yours, I can’t just take your clothes-” 

“I never wear that jacket anyway,” Angelica pointed out. “And it doesn’t look as good as me. Might as well give it to you, right?” When Maria still looked unconvinced, Angelica rested a hand on her forearm, watching her for any signs of discomfort. “I won’t push you if you really feel uncomfortable taking it, but you’re my friend and I don’t mind sharing my stuff with you.” 

First Maria’s lips quirked slightly into an uncertain smile, and when Angelica playfully pinched her cheek, it blossomed into a full smile that dimmed the sun and almost blinded Angelica. “Thanks.” 

“No problem, baby girl.” 

They walked in silence for a while. It wasn’t exactly the warmest day of the year, and Angelica noticed Maria repeated hugging herself against the chill, but the sun was shining brightly enough for them to pretend it was the peak of summer. A couple were exchanging kisses under a tree, and a few feet away, three elderly women were painstakingly hobbling down the path. A young child, running ahead of his parents, was throwing a paper airplane repeatedly and scrambling to catch it just before it hit the ground. It had been too long since Angelica had visited the park just for the sake of it. It was like time stopped there, and it was drastically different to the street, where everyone looked like they were late to a particularly important meeting. 

Angelica was so distracted with spotting squirrels scurrying across the well-cut grass that she didn’t notice that Maria looked thoughtful.

“Why do you call me that?” 

“Hm?”

Maria shrugged, looking unsure of herself. “‘Baby girl',” she clarified. “It's not… It's not that I don't like it, but… do you call everyone that?”

“I…” Fuck. Angelica didn't know what to say. It  _ wasn't  _ something she called everyone, but telling Maria that she reserved the nickname only for her would be equivalent to confessing all her feelings. “Well, not  _ everyone,  _ but if it bothers you, you can tell me. You know that, right?”

Maria nodded. “I know. It's fine, I like it, I was just wondering…”

“I have nicknames for a lot of my friends,” Angelica said slowly. “I learnt the bare minimum of French in highschool and called Laf 'mon cher’ ever since. Eliza is exclusively 'love’. Alex is 'little lion’ and John is 'little grapefruit'. I've been calling one of my friends 'teddy bear’ for years.”

Although all of this was true, the context was drastically different. She only called Laf 'mon cher’ to mock his blatant Frenchness, Eliza was special because she was her  _ sister,  _ and the 'little lion' and 'little grapefruit’ mess had begun after a drunken night and several changed contact names that Angelica had thought were too hilarious to be forgotten. And then there was the fact that she didn't have a crush on any of those people, whereas Maria… Well. Dwelling on her feelings wouldn't help her move on. 

“Teddy bear?” Maria asked, looking far too interested. “As in, Theodosia 'teddy bear'?” 

“You know Theo?” Angelica asked. “With the long box braids and maroon lipstick?”

Maria nodded. “Her full name's Theodosia, right?”

“Is it? I thought it was just Theo,” Angelica said, trying to remember where she had heard the name Theodosia. Someone had been talking about a Theodosia, and it wasn't a particularly common name. 

Suddenly, it clicked. 

_ “Aaron,”  _ she breathed. Peggy had said Aaron's secret girlfriend's name was Theodosia. Theodosia as in Angelica's teddy bear Theo. And the description matched…

“Who?” 

Angelica shook her head, still in awe. “Nothing. Shall we get going?” 

Maria nodded, one hand deep in the pocket of Angelica's jacket. Her other hand reached out to intertwine her fingers with Angelica's, moving slowly as though giving Angelica the opportunity to move away. Like hell Angelica was going to throw her chance now. She'd curse herself for giving in later on, but for know, she revelled in the smoothness and warmth of Maria's hand. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so james didnt cheat, but i'm still not sure whether i should have the proposal on-screen or off-screen. you guys decide?
> 
> aaaanyway, maria and angelica are finally going on a date ;)))))) but do either of them know its a date? 
> 
> [lafayettes-baguette](http://www.lafayettes-baguette.tumblr.com) is my tumblr, shoot me some headcanons about literally any character/ship, i'm such a slut for headcanons, you guys have no idea
> 
> also, i know i've stopped responding to comments, i'm sorry, it's just that theres so many and i didnt expect the love for this fic to grow to this extent?? plus the fact that replying without sounding stupid/repetitive, so i'll respond to comments from mutuals but other than that, i promise i'm reading them and they all make my day, you guys are the best


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